


Avenger Ships Two

by A_Unique_Username



Series: Avenger Ships [2]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Arguing, Crying, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Insecurity, Misunderstandings, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-09-28
Packaged: 2021-04-21 09:01:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 44,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22059703
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Unique_Username/pseuds/A_Unique_Username
Summary: A series of oneshots featuring ships from the Marvel Universe. Mostly Stony, Starker, and Stucky. Open for requests.2: Stucky - Steve and Bucky celebrate their first Christmas.3: Starker - Tony accidentally gives Peter an allergic reaction.4: Stony - Tony is basically Steve’s IT guy.5: Stucky - Bucky mishears something that makes him insecure.6: Stony - Tony makes assumptions when he sees Steve crying.7: Stucky - Steve helps Bucky get through the day.8: Stony - Steve and Tony switch bodies.9: Stony - Quarantine.10: Stony - A sleep-deprived Tony gets a little confused.11: Stuckony - Mob Boss AU12: Just a Note13: Stony - Kingdom14: Stucky - Bucky doesn’t know what happened while he was with Hydra.15: Stony - Steve takes a nasty fall from the Ironman suit.16: ???17: ???18: ???19: ???20: ???21: ???22: ???
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Peter Parker/Tony Stark, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Series: Avenger Ships [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587730
Comments: 21
Kudos: 140





	1. Introduction

Hello, Marvel Fandom! 

This is sort of a sequel, but it’s just a collection of random one shots, so there is no need to read anything beforehand. If you enjoy this one, check out my other works: 

Avengers Family - Platonic oneshots with the Avengers acting as one large family.

Avengers Family Two - A continuation of Avengers Family. The one shots are in random order so no need to read one before the other.

Another Avengers Fanfiction Archive - A collection of unrelated oneshots between the reader and various marvel heroes.

Another Avengers Fanfiction Archive (Two) - A continuation of Another Avengers Fanfiction Archive. The oneshots are still unrelated so reading the first one before is not necessary.

Avenger Ships - Oneshots involving ships between established Marvel characters. Mostly Stony, Stucky, and Starker.

I do take prompts, but I refuse to glorify r*pe or mental illnesses or abusive relationships or incest or any of that jazz. I try to put warnings before anything with potentially harmful content, but I’m not perfect and these are certainly not beta read. Feel free to let me know if you see anything that should be fixed in the comments! 

Since I’ve received complaints before, I will warn you now - there will be Starker. I will have it labeled in the summary and the title of the chapter. Peter will always be aged up to at least 18 - if it’s not specified, I’m usually imaging him as late college or older. If you still don’t like it, please just click next and ignore. 

I have the same stories under the account @A_Unique_Username_ on Wattpad so if you prefer that platform, head on over!

Thank you all for the support and happy reading!!


	2. First Christmas (Stucky)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Bucky celebrate their first Christmas in the 21st century.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Years guys! I didn’t actually mean to start this work without a fic attached to it, but I guess drunk me had different plans. So it’s a bit later than it should’ve been, but I hope you like it!

“It looks..nice” Bucky glanced around the freshly decorated living room, carefully taking in all the new festive additions.

Steve grinned proudly. He’d went out and got a bunch of Christmas decorations from Pepper to decorate his and Bucky’s shared apartment. It was Bucky’s ‘first Christmas’ in the sense that it was the first Christmas in the 21st century that ‘Bucky’ was conscious and unfrozen for so Steve went all out on the decorations. 

There was garland along the fireplace adorned with reindeer shaped stocking holders which held a stocking each for Sam and Steve. There was a wonderfully decorated Christmas tree with a few gifts already from the Starks as well as a little Christmas village on a side table. 

Steve was slightly discouraged by the blank look in his friend’s eyes, but he pressed on. It wasn’t uncommon for Bucky to take a moment to adjust and sort his thoughts. “Would you like to do festive things this season? Tony owns a hockey rink we could use privately, I have a ton of Christmas movies, there are amazing Christmas lights in this neighborhood to drive by and see, and the kitchen is stocked with cookie making ingredients. That is, if you’re feeling up to it? We can also do normal stuff.” 

“No...” Bucky didn’t have all of his memories back, but something deep inside him instantly recognized the disappointed twitch in Steve’s expression and desperately wanted to rectify it. “I want to do Christmas stuff.” While he wasn’t particularly enthusiastic, Christmas activities couldn’t be too painful. The way Steve’s face lit up made Bucky smile involuntarily, and they were off. 

Steve convinced Tony to let him use the ice rink privately, figuring it would be a fun way to get Bucky out of the house and moving without the stress of large Christmas crowds, critics of the Winter Solider, or Avengers super fans. 

“These should fit. Just let me know if you need a larger size.” Steve handed a pair of skates to Bucky and grabbed a separate pair for himself. “Sometimes the laces are tricky so if you need any...” Steve had barely sat down when one glance at Bucky showed that the man already had his skates on and properly laced. “Alright then, just give me a second to catch up.” 

Steve hadn’t even had the chance to ice skate before the serum, but he’d been a few times ‘in the future’ and his perfect balance made it so he was nearly at a professional level. He was optimistic for Bucky, but not overly so. 

He was still adjusting to a few modifications Tony had added to his arm that changed the weight. Namely, there was a way for the Avengers to disable it in case of emergencies and it had more domestic features available. They actually made the arm better balanced for his body, but after living with the old arm for so long, it was going to take a bit to get used to normal again. 

So when Bucky stepped onto the ice and flawlessly glided around the rink at record speeds, Steve was a bit surprised. He happily caught up rounded the corner alongside Bucky. He pointed out all the Christmas decorations and festive lights that adorned the rink. They challenged each other to try progressively harder tricks and cheered when one of them was able to pull them off. Eventually, the moves were getting too difficult for Steve and he fell on the ice. Being stubborn as he was, he kept trying. After the first fall, Bucky managed to catch Steve most of the time, but sometimes they both fell. It wasn’t long until both men were nearly in tears from laughing at all the failed attempts. 

Before he could stop it, the question slipped out of Steve’s lips and ruined everything. “So when did you learn to skate so well?” If he’d thought for a moment, it was obvious that Bucky’s apparent skill came from Hydra, presumably training for a mission of some sort. 

The effect was immediate, Bucky’s eyes dulled and became far off. His face became stony and pale. It was clear that he was stuck in his mind - remembering the horrifying ordeal his trainings had been and the acts he had committed using that training. His expression was broken as he quickly glanced at Steve and then back at the floor. “I’m getting tired. I’m just going to go sit down.” 

Steve followed him in silence, feeling horrible for his slip up. His heart was breaking for the pain Bucky had endured. 

“You don’t have to-“

Steve shook his head. “If you don’t want me around, ask me to leave. Otherwise, I’m sticking with you.” 

“But I’m-“

“In need of help. The whole team is. And you’re going to get it. ‘Till the end of the line means I’m gonna be around till you physically push me out - and even then I don’t think I’ll go far.” Steve’s lips turned upwards in an attempt at a smile.

Bucky looked confused, he still hadn’t gotten back all of his memories, but at the same time, he seemed to relax slightly. They sat on the bench for a while, side by side. Bucky would occasionally speak, but most of it was just randomly words or unfinished sentences- Steve listened attentively anyway. The rest of the time, Steve let Bucky lean on him as they just sat in silence. 

Finally, Bucky got up, ready to leave. Steve led the way to the lot and slipped into the driver’s seat. “We’re going to take a longer route home alright?” 

Bucky nodded, curious, but still not quite used to asking questions. He cautiously surveyed his surroundings as Steve pulled onto an unfamiliar street. 

“Buck.” Steve softly called out. “I promise it won’t be dangerous. We aren’t even going to leave the car. It’s one of Stark’s so it’s armored and tinted. If you’re uncomfortable we can also go straight home.”

Bucky shook his head. He trusted Steve. He wanted to see what Steve wanted to show him. 

Not long after, the car pulled into a neighborhood and Steve slowed down. “Look out the window.” 

Bucky looked up and was greeted with the sight of a house covered in lights. There were brightly glowing icicles around the edges of the roof and lit up fake reindeer on the top. A train filled with presents sat on the front lawn alongside many, many penguins in Santa hats. It was gaudy and probably overdone, but the Christmasy spirit made Bucky smile just the tiniest bit. 

The next house had a moving Ferris Wheel filled with elves and a snowman who tipped his hat at passing cars. There was a whole street where each house had a gigantic, personalized Christmas card out from - some were religious, others filled with normal Christmas characters. A few even had cartoon characters or famous people, including one with the Avengers. Bucky especially seemed to like the house that had its lights synced to Christmas music on a radio station. The gingerbread men lit up at just the right time to make it seem like they were dancing. 

By the time they got home, Bucky was in a much better mood, but he wasn’t quite recovered yet. Even though it was late, he seemed wary of falling asleep, most likely afraid of the nightmares that may come. He sat down on the couch and grabbed a magazine, slowly flipping through the issue. 

Steve had an idea. The Christmas stuff seemed to be working so far so he might as well keep pushing, right?

“Want to watch A Christmas Story?” Steveasked Bucky from behind the couch. When Bucky tilted his head back to respond, he was met with a very cheerful looking Steve wearing a hideous Grinch sweater. He had two mugs of hot chocolate in one hand and a mountain of blankets in the other. “I even brought you a sweater.” 

Bucky’s immediate response was to insist that he was fine and didn’t need babysitting. He wasn’t defective. But before he spit that out, he carefully assessed Steve’s genuinely happy expression. Maybe this wasn’t a burden? Bucky wanted nothing more than to spend more time with Steve, and for the first time since he’d been brought home, he expressed that on the first try. “I’d love to.” 

Steve’s eyes lit up and he leaped over the back on the couch and into a seat, somehow without spilling anything. He threw a giant blanket over Bucky and grabbed a second one for himself, also tossing a Santa sweater at Bucky. 

He couldn’t explain it, but Bucky felt alright when he was around Steve. His memories were still fuzzy. He remembered Steve as a tiny kid, glaring as well as he could with a black eye down an alley. He could picture Steve as Captain America, shouting orders amidst gunfire. There were a few others, but all of them felt far away, like they weren’t his. While his memories weren’t put together, his emotional responses to Steve were strong. He’d been trained to ignore any kind of emotions when he became the Winter Solider, but when he was with Steve, that training seemed to vanish.

Bucky always wanted to be around Steve. He didn’t admit it, but when Steve left to go on errands or missions, even if it was just for an hour, he really missed him. Steve’s smile made his heart flutter and he’d do anything to keep it on his face. When Steve got disappointed or downtrodden, Bucky had the overwhelming urge to comfort him, even if he didn’t know how. Steve made him feel human. Feel respected and valued. Steve never judged or criticized. Even without the memories, Steve was his best friend. 

Eventually, the mixture of hot chocolate and warm blankets resulted in Bucky and Steve both nodding off on the couch. 

It was 3:30 in the morning when Steve jolted awake at the sound of groaning. He quickly sat up, immediately noticing Bucky’s shaking body and pained expression. He grabbed Bucky’s wrists and held them down - although it probably didn’t help the nightmares, Bucky had insisted and he only avoided Steve wallowing in guilt if he woke up completely unrestrained. “Hey, Buck. It’s me, Steve. I’m here for you. It’s the 21st century Buck, and you’re safe.” 

Bucky’s eyes opened abruptly. They were wide and unfocused with panic. 

Steve schooled his expression into something reassuring. He wasn’t the best actor, but it would have to do. He released Bucky’s hands and leaned back away from his personal space. “Are you with me Buck?”

Bucky nodded, eyes still haunted. Steve sat silently, waiting for Bucky to speak. They’d already established that Bucky knew he could ask for anything or talk about anything after his nightmares. Sometimes it took some prompting because he couldn’t ask outright, but Steve could usually see the indication in his best friend’s features. For now, he let Bucky process everything first. 

After a while, Bucky got up. 

“Not going back to sleep?” 

Bucky shook his head. “You can go back to-“ One glance at Steve shut him up. 

“Would you like to do something? We could go for a walk, watch some infomercials? Strangely enough Clint always says baking works for him.”

“Do you have anything to bake with?”

The response took Steve off guard. He wouldn’t have guessed that was what Bucky would choose, but nonetheless, he supported it. “I have the Christmas cookie ingredients. I’ll go get them.” 

As Steve brought the mixing bowls to the kitchen table, he realized Bucky was flexing the fingers on his left hand and staring at it. It immediately hit Steve. He wants to use his hand for good things, for things that can’t be associated with violence or brainwashing or misdeeds. He made a mental note to research some hobbies that were good for hand coordination and pick up supplies in time for Christmas. 

Little by little, Bucky lightened up. “You’re a scene punk. Your hair’s all messed up and that sweater looks disgusting.” 

“Excuse me, it’s SUPPOSED to look that way.” 

“No I think it’s worse because it’s on you.” 

“Liar.” Steve laughed and stole the angel cookie cutter from out of Bucky’s hands. “Make something else, we don’t need two million angel cookies.” 

“Why not? It’s easier to just do one shape. They fit together and you waste less dough.” 

“You’ll get tired of decorating them though. We need variety. Here take the reindeers and the candy canes.” 

Bucky sighed dramatically, but obediently accepted the shaped metal from Steve and rolled another slab of dough onto the board. 

They continued to playfully joke as they made tray after tray of cookies. Bucky was grabbed a handful of flour as he scowled at the doughy gingerbread man sticking to his wooden cutting board. He accidentally knocked the container open, sending a cloud of powder everywhere. Steve began to laugh at the sight of Bucky covered in white and accidentally inhaled some of the lingering particles. He began to cough violently into his elbow. 

A wheeze escaped Steve’s throat. Bucky felt like he’d been punched in the chest. A flood of memories flew through his brain. Steve and him in the orphanage. Steve rapping his foot in the corner of the dance hall, abandoned by his date. Steve shivering on the couch, his ribs showing even through his threadbare shirt. Steve scolding Bucky for coming home drunk. Steve pressing his forehead to Bucky’s and assuring him that he would be alright when he shipped out. Steve cuddling next to Bucky in bed. Steve rescuing him. Steve as Captain America. Steve kissing him in a green tent. Steve screaming as Bucky fell from the train. Time and time and time again of skinny Steve wheezing during asthma attacks. Bucky passed out. 

Bucky’s consciousness came back to the sound of Steve’s panicked voice. “Please wake up, Bucky please. You can’t do this to me.” Steve shook his shoulders, willing him to get up. 

His eyelids felt incredibly heavy, but he managed to open them. Steve immediately grabbed Bucky and pulled him into a giant hug. “Thank God.” Bucky could feel him shaking against his chest.

“Oh, sorry.” Steve sniffed and gently lowered Bucky back. Apparently he’d removed his sweater and made a makeshift pillow with it. Bucky took in Steve’s appearance, his eyes were red and full of tears, but his whole face conveyed relief. “You scared me there. Let me check your pupils. I got to you before your head hit anything, but it doesn’t hurt to check. Does anything feel off? Do you know what happ-“ 

As Steve leaned over to examine Bucky’s head, he was pulled into a passionate kiss. There was no hesitation, Steve kissed back like it was second nature. It was a few moments before he pulled back, panting. “Bucky?” 

“Why the fucking hell would you jump on a grenade?”

“It was fake. How did you know about that?” Steve replied indignantly.

“Peggy told me. And you just crashed a plane in the Atlantic. Are you kidding me? Shouldn’t that fancy serum have given you some common sense or something? You’re no better than when you used to pick fights with-“ 

This time Steve pulled Bucky in for a kiss. It was much gentler, but still as needy. “You remember.” He whispered. Now there were full tears streaming down his face. 

“I’ll never forget you.” Bucky looked into Steve’s eyes to show how serious he was. 

“I need to check your head.” Steve gasped, remembering Bucky’s fall from minutes ago. 

“I’m fine, I’d prefer if you just kept kissing me instead.” Bucky wiggles his eyebrows, drawing a smile from Steve.

“On the tile kitchen floor?”

“It’s perfect.”

And it was. Steve and Bucky kissed and cuddled on the kitchen floor, surrounded by Christmas decorations and the scent of sugar cookies as the first morning light streamed through the window. 

“I am taking you to get your head scanned though.” 


	3. Reaction  (Starker)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by Kittycatluver98:
> 
> “Hi me again. I have another prompt for you. Could you do a Starker where Tony and Peter are on a date on top of the tower and Peter has a severe allergic reaction (like throat closing, stops breathing kind) to the kiwi wine (ok I'm going to be honest. I have no idea if there is a wine with kiwi in it but yeah.... Imagine) and he didn't know that he was allergic. Tony gets him to med bay in time and Tony is shaken up about how close he came to losing Peter and tries to comfort Peter who is shaken and confused after being out of it for a few days. When Peter finally has the all clear Tony takes him back to his room and makes love to him and cuddles him. Thanks”

“Tony…” Peter’s breathy voice trailed off as he covered his mouth in surprise. The entire roof of Stark Tower was lit up with warm string lights and candles. In the center was a round table dressed with formal dining settings, and off to the side was a comfortable looking couch covered in soft, fluffy blankets which was positioned toward the amazing view of the New York skyline. 

“Do you like it?” Tony fidgeted with a bit of nerves. This was way under budget from his usually romantic gestures, but he had noticed that Peter became uncomfortable and unsure how to act if Tony planned something too extravagant, so he opted for something more intimate. “I actually set it up myself.”

In the blink of an eye, Peter had his arms wrapped over Tony’s neck and his forehead and his lips pressed against his lips. He pulled back to gaze lovingly into the older man’s eyes. “I love it. Thank you.” They enjoyed each other’s embrace for a few more moments before Tony grabbed Peter’s hand and led him to the table. 

“I arranged for a spread of things to be catered so you can try whatever you want.” Tony gestured at the large table covered in fancy plates and serving trays. “I couldn’t decide on one thing.”

Peter’s eyes widened at the large expanse of lavish and exotic foods. He wasn’t sure he’d ever seen that much food in one place before except for in a grocery store. “I’m not sure if I know what to - I mean how do I-“

“I’ll show you.” Tony grinned, not off put by Peter’s stammering at all. Despite Tony’s instance that he wanted to help support Peter financially, his lover refused to take anything more than gifts or sponsorship for his PhD research. That meant that Peter prepared most of his own meals with cheap ingredients, and he wasn’t much of a cook. When he went out, it wasn’t much better. Tony understood that sometimes the best food was a cheap, greasy burger from a local diner, but that didn’t stop him from worrying just a tad when he saw the Mexican ‘Restaurant’ where Peter had gotten the burrito or the cart where he had bought a slice of pizza or the gas station where he ate a hot dog. He also wanted to treat Peter to some of the finer things in life, and expand his palette. 

Tony gently maneuvered Peter into his seat and began adding things to his plate. He then made his own plate and carried them back to the table. Peter eagerly stuck his fork into one of the scallops and put it in his mouth, smiling as he enjoyed the flavor. 

“Here, it tastes better if you scoop some of the sauce up with it. Like this.” Tony extended his spoon to Peter’s mouth, who complied easily. “See?”

“Mmmhmm” Peter nodded. “It definitely tastes better like that.” He opened his mouth slightly, indicating he wanted more. Tony spent the rest of the night explaining the dishes and showing Peter how to eat them by feeding them to him. Peter reciprocated the flavor. 

“I’m so full.” Peter moaned as he sat down on the couch. “And it’s chilly.” He smirked and pressed himself against Tony, who couldn’t help his heart from swelling at the movement. No one had ever made him this happy. Even simple, innocent gestures made his heart beat a little faster. 

“No room for dessert?” Tony teased, already grabbing the chilling wine and cake. 

“There’s always room for dessert.” Peter retorted, patting his stomach for effect. “What is that?”

“Well, the cake is a fairly simple vanilla cake.” Tony answered, and Peter rolled his eyes. “Okay, it was made by a famous French pastry chef with Madagascan vanilla bean and mascarpone cream. There are dustings of truffles in the buttercream as well.”

Peter laughed and shook his head. “Of course it is.” He glanced up at Tony from his spot in his lap and smiled to show that it wasn’t a criticism. 

Tony smiles back and carefully fed Peter a forkful of the dessert. “I know you aren’t usually a big fan of wine, but I got this imported wine, and it’s supposed to be much sweeter.”

Peter eyed the bottle suspiciously. He didn’t understand how people enjoyed the bitter taste of wine so much, and had said as much to Tony when he went to fancy events where it was served. He wasn’t one to turn away new things without trying, and he held out his glass.

Tony filled Peter’s glass up halfway and then tended to his own. He took a sip. “It is definitely much sweeter. I think this could almost be a dessert wine.” 

Peter, encouraged by Tony’s praise, took a sip himself. He let it sit in his mouth for a few moments, like all the connoisseurs he’d seen, but as soon as he swallowed, he lifted the glass up at stared at it in surprise. 

“So?”

“I couldn’t-“ By the end of the second word, Peter’s voice sounded incredibly strange and he didn’t finish the sentence.

“That bad? Well, I guess wine really isn’t your thing.” Tony said fondly, taking the glass from Peter and setting it on the table. He quickly turned around when he heard a wheezing noise and was shocked to see Peter’s face was a sickly pale. His lips were tinged with blue and his chest was immobilized with the lack of flowing air. He attempted to push himself into a standing position, but crumpled into Tony’s arms, eyes rolling back in his head.

It seemed as though everything was moving in slow motion. Tony watched with horror as Peter struggled to breath, but couldn’t move until his lover collapsed on him. “JARVIS, get someone to the medbay right now.” Tony shouted as he ran down the stairs, carrying Peter bridal style. “I don’t care who you have to drag out of home. I need Bruce. I need our specialize physicians. I need the best pulmonologist in the area.”

Tony was frantic as he placed an unconscious Peter on the medical cot. Only Bruce was there, and he immediately started to intubate Peter. The rest of the doctors arrived shortly after and assessed the man’s vitals and other symptoms. Tony’s heart felt like it was made of stone as he watched the love of his life at the mercy of a plastic tube. 

Despite his best efforts, he was pushed from the room by all the professionals he had called in, and Tony nervously paced the space around him - wracking his mind to determine what had happened. 

“It looks like a classic case of anaphylactic shock. Do we know what he ate or drank? A reaction this strong must mean he consumed the item mere minutes before the first symptoms.”

Tony’s stomach dropped.  An allergic reaction . The only thing that could’ve caused it was the wine. The wine that he had given Peter. Tony glanced through the crack in the door and saw Peter regaining his breath, but still shaky. Relief flooded through him at the knowledge that his boyfriend was recovering and would be alright. It didn’t overwhelm the consuming feeling of guilt. 

“Tony?”

Tony could hear Peter from his spot pressed near the door, but a doctor still motioned for him to enter. 

“I’m here.”

“What happened?” Peter was heavily sedated and groggy from the lack of oxygen. Tony calmly explained the situation, rubbing Peter’s palm with his thumb as he recounted the story. 

Peter’s eyes widened with panic as he heard about passing out. “How long have I been out? Was there something in the wine? Was this a revenge plot?” 

Tony reached out with his other arm to steady Peter and reassure him. “Hey, Peter. It’s okay. You’re safe. No one is out to get you.” Tony winced at the fact that Peter’s first reaction reflected all the trauma he’d suffered from such a young age. “You’re just allergic to the wine.” 

Peter contemplated this for a minute or two, just relaxing into Tony’s touch. By the time he had processed the information, he was extremely calm.

“Guess I’m allergic to kiwis.” Peter shrugged and then pouted exaggeratedly “I’ve always wanted to see New Zealand though.” 

Tony snorted. “That was terrible.” His voice was audibly wobbly. 

Peter noticed and wrapped Tony in a hug. Tony began trembling in his lover’s arms, resting his head against his chest to verify the smooth movement of his lungs. Peter reassured him that he was healthy and stroked his hair gently. He politely ignored the wet spot on his shoulder.

“I thought I’d lost you.” Tony whimpered into Peter’s shirt. “Don’t ever do that to me again.” 

“Trust me, I’ll do my best to avoid it.” Peter smiled. “I’m here and safe now, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it stayed that way.” 

They waited for a few more hours, Tony attentively waiting on Peter and obsessively looking for sighs of a biphasic reaction. When the doctor’s gave him the all clear, Tony scrambled to set up the room as much as possible so that maneuvering in it in so that a wheelchair would work. 

“I don’t need a wheelchair. I’m fine. They gave me some epinephrine and I’m back to normal.” Peter whined, as he walked toward the door. Tony fussed a bit more, but gave in easier than normal, because Peter really didn’t seem to be hurting. He did look upset though.

“I’m just tired. I’m going to go to bed.” Peter sighed and switched directions toward the room. 

“I’ll join you.” Tony added, proceeding to follow Peter. It was already three in the morning, and he hadn’t done anything since the incident, so Tony went to the bathroom to get ready to sleep. When he came out, he was shocked to see Peter curled into the fetal position, tears streaming down his cheeks, on top of the bed.

“Peter?” He called putting in a soft voice, masking his own fear. “Is something wrong?” 

Peter’s eyes slowly opened, and he managed to rasp out, “Sorry, I thought you were going to shower. I’m okay.”

Tony frowned, it was clear that even if Peter wasn’t having a delayed allergic reaction, he was not okay. Tony gently removes the comforter from under Peter, and placed it over him. He crawled into bed behind him and spooned him, knowing that Peter didn’t want him to see the tears even if Tony would never judge him.

They laid like that for a while. Tony caressed Peter’s back, then his shoulders, then his head, taking away some of the tension that had pulled them so tight. He whispered sweet nothings into his lover’s ear about how much he loved him and how glad he was that Peter was safe. He ran his fingers through Peter’s hair just how he liked it. 

Eventually, Peter squirmed to put some distance between him and Tony, and then he flipped to his other side. Tony felt concern at seeing his partner’s red rimmed eyes, but put on his best soothing face so Peter wouldn’t misinterpret anything and feel ashamed to talk.

“I’m sorry-“

“-Don’t apologize.” Tony may have been being hypocritical because he was still carrying the guilt of nearly killing his boyfriend, but he couldn’t bare the thought of Peter thinking his emotions were a burden.

“That was just so scary.” Peter whispered, barely audible to Tony’s ears. Tony encased Peter in his arms and pressed a kiss to his forehead. 

“Yeah, it was, but you made it through. You’re safe now. And I promise, I will keep anything kiwi out of the house from now on.”

Peter laughed, it was wet sounding, but genuine. “What a brave boyfriend I have - willing to take on the kiwi’s for me. Isn’t that a bit below Ironman’s pay grade?” 

“Anything for you. And I’m strong enough without the suit for this one I think.” Tony flexed his arm in demonstration.

“I think so too.” Peter traces his finger along Tony’s bicep, tracing the lines of muscle. “Thank you. I love you.” 

Peter’s voice was so sincere, so clearly grateful for the love and acceptance he shared with Tony. Tony’s heart couldn’t help but flutter. That only amplified when Peter started kissing him.

It was chaste at first, but with a flick of his tongue, Tony deepened it until they were passionately making out on the bed. Peter reached for the rim of his waistband, and Tony pulled back, panting. Peter pouted.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Peter nodded with a serious expression, then broke out in a smirk. “I know something that would make me feel better.”

Tony grinned and let the younger man pull of his clothes. “Anything for you.” 


	4. IT (Stony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve gets to know Tony through his technology mistakes. Tony makes some mistakes of his own.

“Tap, tap, tap”

There was cautious knocking on the lab’s window. Luckily, Tony had just wrapped up his new addition to his gauntlets and was actually conscious of the outside world. He spun around in his chair to see who was there.

To his surprise, Steve Rogers was standing on the other side. Instead of looking like the proud Captain Tony knew him as, he looked sheepish and a little embarrassed. His posture seemed to curl in on itself a bit. He flashed Tony a weak smile and then lifted something up to show him through the window. It was - the toaster? 

Tony told JARVIS to open up the doors. Steve came in, scratching behind his ears. 

“Hi, Stark. I’m really sorry, but I, uh, I accidentally broke your toaster.” He then presented the machine again. The lever had popped off and the side was concave now. It would be an easy fix, but Tony couldn’t resist a little teasing.

“What could my poor toaster have ever done to invoke the wrath of Captain America?” Tony took the machine and awkwardly cradled it like a baby. “Ssh, don’t cry. I’ve got you now.” 

Steve blushed. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t paying attention and I pushed the tab down too hard and it just fell. When I was holding the toaster to fix it I was too focused on one hand and the other was just...”

“Don’t worry about it Cap. It’s not a problem. I’m a genius, remember? I could fix a toaster with my eyes closed.” To prove his point, Tony used the heat gun and some adhesive to pop the side back out and stick the plastic bit to its rightful place. “Good as new. I’m kinda surprised you didn’t just go off and buy a new one and pretend like nothing ever happened. You know, to maintain that Mr. Perfect image you’ve got going on.”

“But it’s still a perfectly good toaster? And metal is...now abundantly available. I forgot. It would still be wasteful. I’m not going to pretend to be perfect. No one is.” 

“True, well, I’ll see you around.”

“Thank you. See you too.” 

Steve left the workshop with the toaster, and Tony felt pleasantly surprised with how that had gone. He hadn’t actually interacted with the Captain much. Their first meeting, on the Helicarrier, had not gone well. After the invasion of New York, they had both seemed to grow a professional respect for each other. Even at the shawarma joint the team ate at together, there wasn’t much friendly chatter.

After seeing Natasha’s dismal conditions at SHIELD, he offered her and Clint a floor at his tower. Clint stayed there occasionally, but only once or twice a month. Bruce joined after he finished up his work in India. Thor politely rejected the invitation, reminding them that he had a kingdom at home, but agreed to stay there, if not at Jane’s, when he was on Earth again. So when Natasha mentioned that Steve was apartment hunting after his whole ‘discover America’ motorcycle road trip, it only made sense for Tony to extend his welcome to their team leader. 

Steve accepted their offer graciously, Natasha may have had a small role in persuading him to do so, and within the week, his stuff was all moved in. The tower was huge and all of its inhabitants were busy people so they didn’t see each other as often as one might think. Tony was especially elusive, with his many private floors. 

Consequently, they hadn’t gotten to know each other beyond their superhero personas. Honestly, Tony assumed that Steve was always the rigid man he met on the Helicarrier. He expected a man with a military presence so he was pleasantly surprised by the Steve who is ashamed he couldn’t use the toaster.

Steve felt the same way after seeing Tony extend help so easily. A while later, he came back down to the lab with a plate of fried eggs on toast with a side of hash browns and some coffee. 

“Thanks again for the help. I made you breakfast.” He placed the plate on an empty spot on the table and rushed out to begin his morning workout. Only then did Tony realize his stomach was grumbling, so he practically inhaled the food. Would it be bad if he wished Steve would break the toaster more often? 

—————

Well, it wasn’t the toaster this time. 

Tony was sitting in the kitchen drinking his coffee when Steve came in with a frown on his face. 

“What’s wrong Capsicle? Thought you of all people would be a morning person.”

“It’s 1pm.” 

Tony glanced at the clock and wow it was way later than he thought. He looked back at Steve, half expecting that to be it and half expecting an explanation for the grumpy mood. 

“My camera broke this morning.” Steve offered up an explanation as he grabbed a protein bar from the pantry. 

“Did you crush it?”

“No, not that kind of broke. The screen keeps flashing this white error message and the SD card won’t eject to let me upload my photos.” 

“You know how to upload photos onto a computer?” 

“Yeah, I got trained in that stuff for recognizance missions where we needed to take pictures.” 

“I could probably fix it for you.” 

Steve spun around. “Really?” 

“Yeah, bring it down to the lab for me.” 

“Thank you. I’ll go get it.” Steve bounded off toward the stairs for his room. 

Tony met Steve in the lab, he easily found the issue with the camera, which actually did have to deal with the first kind of “broke” and fixed it. 

“Now, let’s see what kind of pictures you take. Do they all have your fingers in front of the lens? Or are they pictures of your computer screen because you can’t screenshot?” Tony smirked and Steve rolled his eyes.

“I’m not actually ninety Stark.” 

“Sure, whatever you say.” Tony brought up a large screen in the middle of his workbench and started swiping through the photos. Contrary to what he expected, they were pretty amazing photos. Steve had a distinct way of framing flowers and trees and wildlife in such a way that they stood out. It was like looking through a National Geographic magazine.

“It’s nice to be able to spend time outside.” Steve mumbled. Tony nodded absentmindedly, still absorbed in his search. 

Eventually, he came across photos of pieces of art. Some were of drawings that seemed to be framed in a museum. Most were of various pieces of art on more temporary mediums. There was a colorful drawing of a man in a WWII uniform done in chalk, blooming flowers emerged from spilled coffee on the countertop, a delicate spider web wrapped around an hourglass on a woman’s shoulder, and much more. 

“So you like art? You know I could show you how to save your favorite artists’ pieces on your computer.”

“Don’t you need to take a picture first?”

“No, usually the artist already has the photo of their piece saved online and then you can either use one of various social media sites to save it or you can just save it in a folder on your desktop. Here, I’ll show you - who did this one?” Tony brought up the spiderweb photo.

“Me. The ones on my camera are all mine.” 

“What about the ones in that museum?” 

“Those are also mine.” 

“You’re an artist?” 

“Not really, I just like doing a bit in my spare time. I wasn’t even going to take a picture of Natasha, but she asked me too. She said if she could ever get a tattoo she’d one that one, but I think she was just being nice.”

“That’s Natasha? She lets you draw on her?! Your art is in a museum - you’re definitely an artist.” 

“During missions, yeah. It’s only in there because people thought I was dead.” 

“I think it looks great.” 

Steve’s expression morphed into confusion. Tony didn’t really sincerely compliment people. Verbal compliments were usually reserved for schmoozing with powerful people. “Thanks.” 

“Do you want them back? The drawings from the museum?” 

“Not really, I can afford better materials now anyways. There are a few of Bucky and my mom that I’d like, but they aren’t in the museum so I think they got destroyed or thrown out.”

Tony studied Steve’s face for a second. “Do you want to go with me to an art museum? I heard the one nearby is getting a new exhibit. Pepper used to go with me - she had an eye for art - to tell me which pieces were good or important.”

“Sure. Let me know. Thanks again Tony! I really appreciate it.” Steve picked up the camera, impossibly gently for a man of his size. 

Tony found himself smiling and staring at the door for a full minute after Steve left. 

—————

“Steve, why didn’t you return my call?” Clint whined as soon as he saw Steve sitting on the sofa with his sketch pad.

Tony happened to walk in at the same moment. He’d been spending more time in the common areas recently. There was no particular reason why - at least that’s what he told himself. 

“Um, I never got a call from you.”

“Let me see it.” Clint made a grabby motion.

Steve pushed himself off the couch. “It hasn’t been exactly working recently - just a fair warning.” He left to go grab the item in question.

What he returned with was not a phone in any sense of the word. It was a smushed lump of metal, wires, and unattached keys. 

“What the hell is that?” 

“It used to be my phone. One of the drones hit my hip during our last fight - it’s a bit broken.” 

“A bit?! Jeez Steve, why haven’t you gotten a new one.” Tony chimed in.

“If I could just buy one, I would. I did submit the paperwork through SHIELD to issue me a new one. It’ll be here in a couple days. Sorry, was the call important?” 

“Very important. I even left a voicemail.”

Steve grimaced. “Sorry, I-“

“Your SIM card is still in tact.” Tony grabbed the lump from Steve’s hand and pulled out the small bit of metal. “I’ve got extra SHIELD approved phones anyway. Let’s just switch you over.” 

Tony started walking over to the closet he had filled with spare tech. He kept all the old phones in case he ever wanted to pull them apart for parts or something. 

“Full disclosure - the call wasn’t actually important. You don’t have to listen to the voicemail actually.” Clint seemed eager to backtrack now that there was a chance of Steve hearing the message in question. 

“Now I want to listen to it. Cap, which phone do you want?” 

“You don’t have to-“

“They’re literally garbage to me, just pick one so we can hear about Clint’s dirty little secret.” 

Steve looked over the pile and pulled out the oldest phone Tony owned. It was a simple black flip-phone.

“Really, if you pick one of the more expensive ones it doesn’t matter to me. I’m not going to charge you or anything.” 

“No, this one is just like my old one. I don’t need all the extra apps or anything.” 

Tony would’ve argued further if he wasn’t so curious about Clint’s voicemail. He transferred the SIM card and rung voicemail. 

Steve typed in the password. 

The first message was from Bruce. 

“Hey, Steve. Could you let me know how the newest anesthetic modification turned out? I heard you -“ 

“Beep” 

Steve skipped the message. A message from Natasha came up next.

“Rogers, I gave your number to the receptionist at-“ 

“Beep”

Next was an unknown number. 

“Hi, Steve! This is Colby. Natalie gave me your number and I was wondering if -“ 

“Beep”

“I wanted to hear that one.” Clint complained. Tony would never admit it, but he felt a little happier at Steve’s indifference to Natasha’s blatant attempt to set him up on a date. 

“This one’s yours.” Steve ignored Clint’s comment. 

“I feel like we maybe shouldn’t listen to this right -“ Clint attempted to grab for the phone, but Steve pulled it away even faster. 

“HI UNCLE STEEB! AUNTIE TASHA SAID THAT YOU COULD - sorry mom says I need to use my inside voice when I’m on the phone - she said that you could probably beat a Power Ranger in a fight but you won’t fight them because they’re the good guys too. Have you ever met a Power Ranger? My favorite is the blue one because -“ 

The voicemail got abruptly cut off, either Laura got the phone back or Nathanial accidentally cut the call. 

“He went on for twenty minutes after the call ended. He may be convinced that you met a real-life Power Ranger so when you come over he’ll probably grill you about that.”

“What’s a Power Ranger?” 

“It’s essential knowledge you should watch the TV show.” 

Steve shot Tony a questioning glance. 

“It’s not, catch up on the other stuff on your list first. Uncle Steeb? Auntie Tasha?” 

“He started calling them that when he couldn’t talk as well. It stuck.” 

“Wait, hold up. You have kids?” Tony rubbed the bridge of his nose. “How did I not know that?”

“It’s a secret.”

“Clearly not from Cap. Or Natasha if Auntie Tasha is who I think it is.” 

“It’s for their safety. Please don’t say anything.” Clint asked sincerely, but he seemed to know Tony wouldn’t endanger his family. 

“I won’t say a word.” Tony mimicked zipping up his mouth. 

“Thank you. So I still think it’s an important topic. Tony do you think Steve could beat a -“ 

“-Don’t you have a debriefing with Fury in like ten minutes?” Steve cut in, checking his watch.

“Ah, shoot. I do. We’ll get back to this.” Clint ran off. 

“Hey, Tony?” 

“What’s up?”

“I actually don’t have your number yet, would you mind?” Steve extended his phone, indicating for Tony to fill out a new contact form. 

Tony did and then called himself. He thought he already had Steve’s number, and either way he could find it out, but it was easier that way. 

“Can I see what you’re working on?” Tony lifted his chin toward Steve’s sketchbook. 

“Sure. This part is...” 

Tony couldn’t help getting lost in the excited way Steve describes his drawings. They ended up talking for hours about Steve’s paintings and Tony’s inventions.

—————

Tony almost didn’t hear the sound of his phone vibrating against his nightstand. “Who is calling at eight in the morning?” He slurred angrily to no one in particular, ignoring that eight really wasn’t too early to be calling. 

He immediately perked up when he saw the caller was Steve.

“Hi, Steve, how’s it going?”

“Hey Tony! Everything’s fine except for - sorry, did I wake you up?” 

“Maybe, but it’s fine.”

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“It’s fine. What were you going to say?”

“I accidentally broke the keypad and I can’t get back into the tower.”

“I’ll be down in a minute.” Tony contemplated changing into nicer clothing, but decided Steve was probably getting cold outside and just grabbed his toolkit and headed down. 

He was not prepared for the sight that greeted him when he swung the door open. He knew Steve worked out early in the morning, but he had yet to see it because of his tendencies to sleep in. 

Because of that, he had never seen Steve’s running gear. Those were some  short shorts and an extremely  tight shirt. Steve nervously chewing on his bottom lip and looking apologetic wasn’t helping either. Tony gulped. He his mind blanked. What had he come down here for again? 

“Tony?” 

“Hmm”

“Is the keypad fixable?” 

Oh yeah, the keypad. Tony glanced over at the thing. Everyone had to type in a passcode and then scan their fingerprint to get in, but it looked like Steve had cracked the fingerprinting screen. 

“It wasn’t reading my finger so I tried to push it in a bit more and it just cracked.” 

“It won’t be a problem. I’ll just replace this pane of glass and rearrange the sensors here. I can also reinforce it so this doesn’t happen again. You can go stretch or whatever it is that you do after you run.” 

“I already did that - I’ll just go take a shower. Again, sorry about this. I really didn’t mean to wake you up.” 

Tony waved his hand and continued to work, decidedly not thinking about Steve in the shower. 

—————

“Um, Tony?” 

Tony jumped from his seat. 

“Oh, shoot. I didn’t mean to scare you. Are you okay” 

“Nah, it’s fine. I was just dozing off. I’m not used to people having access to the lab.” Tony had given Steve full-access to the lab a few days ago, but he had yet to use it until today.

“So you’re actually just sleeping during all the time you spend down here?” Steve smirked. “Pepper is going to be so mad.” 

“Don’t tell her. I’ll do anything.” Tony teased back, knowing Steve didn’t think and wouldn’t do those things. 

“Could you maybe fix this please?” Steve brought a gaming console around from behind his back. It had a half of a disc, presumably snapped in half, stuck in the slot. 

“Do you just hate technology? I can salvage the console, but whatever game that was is gone. Probably a good thing considering how it made you react.”

“To be fair, Thor did this. I just came down because the last time Thor went in your lab, things did not go well.” 

“I’m still willing to bet that you’ll break something in the next week.” Tony grabbed the game and got to work on extracting the disc.

“It’s crazy the games people have now. I used to play marbles with the other kids in the orphanage. They all played baseball too, but I’d get too sick. I treasured those marbles like they were made of gold.” 

“I had lots of toys - Star Wars figurines, Pong, a skateboard, Weebles, an etch-a-sketch, and anything else any kid could ever want. The kids would only hang out with me for the toys though and even when I was still in elementary school, Howard would judge me for playing with them. It was ‘childish’.” 

Steve suddenly got up in a rush. He returned less than a minute later with a bag. He pulled out a cylindrical container - it was Jenga.

“I picked this up for Nathanial, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if we used it first. Wanna play?”

—————-

“What were you even trying to do? I’m going to have to reboot the whole system.” 

“I was trying to stream a movie. Bruce said I should watch Ghostbusters.” 

“You should watch Ghostbusters. You have to be careful if you’re going to stream a movie online though. This is going to take a couple hours to restart completely. Do you want to watch it in the Cinema room?”

“We have a cinema room?”

“You haven’t seen it?” 

Steve was more than happy to be led to the luxurious theater room that Tony inevitably had. Tony’s commentary made the movie infinitely better than it would be been watching it alone. 

Steve didn’t say anything when Tony fell asleep halfway through the movie and cuddled up against Steve. Tony didn’t move when he woke up and realized the position he was in.

————-

Steve was feeling pretty proud of himself. It’d been over a week since he’d broken anything. That is, until he snapped the antenna off his radio. He didn’t feel too bad about the mishap though, at least it gave him an excuse to see Tony again. The corners of his lips quirked upwards as he rounded the corner to Tony’s lab.

Inside, Tony grumbled at the screwdriver in his hand. It had been a bad couple of days. Fury had ripped him a new one when he tried to suggest a different method for training new SHIELD recruits and then had the gall to ask for a technological upgrade for their entire headquarters. The media had been tearing into him for his newest invention because it had a, very slim, possibility of being weaponized if his method leaked to the wrong hands. One group claimed history would repeat itself and he would reclaim his position as the ‘Merchant of Death’ while others were upset that he wasn’t doing enough to supply U.S. troops with updated weaponry. Clint had gotten mildly hurt on the last mission so Tony felt pressured to improve his armor to remove the possibility of it happening again, but that would be at least a half-day project. The real kicker was that the team had cleared out the fridge and pantry last night so he hadn’t had food or coffee all day. 

He barely heard whatever JARVIS said and didn’t even notice the door to his lab opening until Steve was right behind him.

“Hi, Tony! I broke my radio, and I was wondering if you could take a look at it when you get a minute? You look pretty busy now so I’ll just leave it.” Steve looked around for an empty spot to dump the radio. It was clear Tony was too busy to sit and chat at the moment.

“So you’re just going to dump it?”

Steve looked back at Tony, surprised at the bite in his tone.

“You expect that everytime you break something because you can’t control your own body or because you’re completely inept in modern technology that I’ll just come running to fix it. Well, if you haven’t noticed-“ Tony gestured around the room “-I’m actually busy. I’ve got a company to run on top of this superhero business. I’ve got to assist SHIELD and SI with their technology and PR which is hard enough as it is without you guys needed upgrades and eating all my food.” 

Steve just stood there speechless, too shocked to fight back. Tony’s voice was downright hostile. He also didn’t have much to counter with. He knew Tony was a busy man - why should he have to deal with all of Steve’s problems?

“Why can’t you just get a smart phone like everybody else? Then, instead of needing a radio and a phone and a GPS, you could have only one thing to break.” 

“Sorry.” Steve picked up the radio and quickly left. Tony was right. He didn’t need to go to Tony for these repairs. He could go to a shop or, better yet, learn how to fix things himself. It wasn’t like he was actually ninety. His mind was still as flexible as a twenty year old’s - even better because of the serum. 

“Is something wrong?” Clint happened to walk by Steve as he made his way back to his room. 

“Nah, I just broke my radio. Tony was too busy to fix it.” 

“Oh, I can do that. I’m actually pretty good with repairs - I’ve broken a lot of stuff.” 

“Really?” Steve perked up. “Do you think you could teach me how to do stuff like that? I’m not great with all this.” 

“No problem. Join me at my place? I’ve got the tools there.” 

Steve happily followed him up. 

————-

“Ah shoot” Tony heard Steve’s voice filter through the doorway along with a small crash. He tensed at the sound. He’d been avoiding Steve for the past two days since his outburst. Tony knew it was cowardly, but he didn’t know how to make it right again. When he got upset, the hurtful words rolled off his tongue faster than he could stop them. 

He needed the file from the room though. 

He walked in and saw Steve piecing together the TV remote on the coffee table. He was actually doing pretty well - it was almost completely whole again. There was just one part that needed to be taken out so two others could be rearranged. 

“Why isn’t the game on?” Clint walked in with two beers. “Oh, hey what’s up Tony?” 

Tony nodded and smiled at Clint, who grinned in response and then turned his attention back to Steve “Did the remote come apart again? I don’t know why that keeps happening. You’ve almost got it - just tweak this part.” Clint settled in right next to Steve and leaned over the remote to point out the right way. They fist bumped when they figured it out. 

“Want to join us?” Steve tilted his beer toward Tony, a nervous smile on his face. 

“Sure.” Tony sat down on the other side of the couch. 

Steve and Clint were really into the game. It was amusing to see them jump up and get all excitable over each hit. All three of them would talk during the commercials, but Tony noticed Steve and Clint slipping inside jokes in. His head hurt a little.After the incident in the workshop, Tony was just grateful that Steve wasn’t icing him out completely. Less than an hour after his outburst, Tony had glanced at his shelf, which was now suspiciously free of all Steve items, and regretted his actions. He missed the easy presence in his lab. 

Even through that, Tony felt the jealousy uncurl in his gut. Yes, it was irrational to think Clint, who adored his wife and children, would even consider flirting with the super solider, but they were getting really close. I mean, apparently Steve had already been visiting Clint’s family with Natasha. The SHIELD agents were thick as thieves and Tony felt excluded - usually he didn’t care, but now it just made him feel so distant from Steve. They’d been so close to having something and he’d had to go and fuck it up.

“Are you alright?” Steve looked over at Tony in concern. The game had ended and Clint had run off for some new training he needed to complete. 

Tony wanted to apologize, to make it all better, but the words wouldn’t come out of his throat. “Right as rain. How bout you? Have you been acting nicer towards the electronics these days - I haven’t noticed any build-up in the workshop.” 

“I’m good...” Steve’s voice was tentative, probably put off by the quickness of Tony’s reply and the element of fake cheer in his voice. “Clint’s been teaching me how to fix my stuff. Apparently when you’re ‘as clumsy as he is’ you ‘gotta know how to fix your shit.’ I’ve been getting pretty good I think.” 

Tony nodded. “I noticed - the remote.” 

Steve smiled genuinely for a moment before his face settled into something more serious. “I’m sorry Tony, about all the broken things. You’ve been so generous in letting me stay here and have all access to all this, and I’ve been acting callous this whole time by breaking your things and then asking you to fix it. I don’t know where my manners went, but don’t worry, I’m not going to bother you with that stuff anymore.” 

A lump formed in Tony’s throat, but Steve didn’t seem to notice as he continued on. “In the interest of full disclosure, I probably could’ve figured some of that stuff on by myself a while ago - I just liked spending time with you.” 

Steve looked so sheepish as he peered at Tony, waiting for a response. He had a slight flush on his face and Tony was really trying to find the right words. The ball was in his court - he should just apologize for his outburst and admit that he also liked spending time with Steve. 

Instead, words failed him and he found himself kissing the super solider. To his surprise, he felt Steve kissing back.

Tony reluctantly pulled back. He was momentarily distracted by Steve’s reddened lips and the look in his eyes before he started to speak. “You don’t have to apologize. I like spending time with you too. I liked the time we spent in the lab. That day was just...there was Fury and Clint and the journalists and Steve I swear I didn’t mean any of what I said. I’m so sorry for saying those things. It’s just the words... I want you to keep breaking shit. Hell, break everything and we can spend all day in the lab.”

Steve flashed a tiny smile at Tony and his heart nearly melted. “How about I don’t break anything?” Tony’s stomach sunk, ready to accept that he had irreparably damaged any chance of being with Steve. “Instead, can we spend time out of the lab? Maybe go to dinner or a museum?” 

Tony’s heart soared. It was more than he even dared to hope for. “Like dates?”

“If you want them to be. Because I would like that very much.” 

Tony didn’t hesitate to continue the make out session from before, showing Steve just what he thought of that idea. 


	5. Is it me? (Stucky)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some unintentional eavesdropping makes Bucky insecure about his relationship with Steve.

“What if I don’t want to get married?” Steve’s voice was clearly audible to the other super solider in the hallway.

“You have to get married to have kids.” Bruce’s exasperated voice.

“Hey, don’t force the man. If he doesn’t want to get married he doesn’t have to get married. Do you want to get married?” Clint’s voice was amused. 

“Nope. Plus, you don’t have to get married to have kids.” Steve’s voice was also light. He sounded so casual, like he was having fun. It completely contrasted with the gut wrenching feeling that had overcome Bucky as he spun on his heels and rushed back to his bedroom. He’d told Steve that he was going to come down and join the team for a movie but he couldn’t bear to face the man as tears filled his eyes.

Steve didn’t want to get married? When they were younger, Steve would always tell Bucky how much he wished he could marry him. He’d get this faraway look in his eyes and this dreamy smile on his face. 

Bucky was sure he was imagining both of them in a big house somewhere living a totally domestic life, maybe raising children. As much as that made him happy, he’d always been more realistic about the whole thing. While Steve always rose to a challenge, much to his downfall, Bucky knew when fight was too big for him. He didn’t think society would be changing anytime soon, and he didn’t think Steve would survive any hate crimes or jail time in his condition. 

The one time he brought this up to Steve, Steve had gone on an angry rant about politicians and some particular people from his church. Bucky decided never to do it again - he much preferred the smile. 

So what changed? Now that gay marriage was legal, he thought Steve would want to jump on the chance. Was it because it was him? Was it because he changed? Did Steve not want him like that any more? 

It kind of made sense. He was a former assassin with an incredibly bloody past. They still didn’t know if he had more latent trigger words and he had more mental illnesses than he cared to think about. 

Was it a commitment thing? Did Steve not want to tie himself down to the ticking time bomb that Bucky had become? Was he just there because he felt guilty over Bucky’s death or because he’d feel responsible if Bucky went on a spree after their break up?

No, Steve was too good for that. It would be more likely that Steve pitied Bucky and wanted to make sure he was fully healed before inflicting any pain on the main. Maybe Steve still even loved Bucky, just not in the forever way he had before. 

Bucky felt sick. He didn’t know how long he’d been stuck in his head, crumpled on the floor of his and Steve’s bedroom. 

He didn’t even notice when his lover opened the door and walked in. “Bucky? The movie’s starting. Did you fall asl- Are you okay?” In a second, the blonde was knelt by his side, pulling Bucky into an embrace like he always did when Bucky was having a panic attack. He repeated his name and the year and their location until Bucky’s sobs subsided. 

“Sweetheart, do you want to tell me what happened?” 

Bucky shook his head. He didn’t want to bring up all his flaws and risk bringing the inevitable breakup closer. 

“That’s fine. You don’t have to talk about it, but if you ever want to, remember that I’m here for you. I love you so much and there is nothing you could say that will push me away. I promise to help you heal.” 

“Then why don’t you want to marry me?” Bucky’s voice was barely a whisper, a normal human wouldn’t have been able to hear it through his thick voice. He then realized that he had gotten snot and tears all over Steve’s shirt and felt even worse about the whole thing. This was disgusting - there was no way Steve liked this. 

“Who said I didn’t want to marry you?” Steve pulled back just a bit to look Bucky in the eyes, concern evident in his features. “I’ve wanted to marry you since the 1930’s.”

“Yeah, but do you want to marry me  now ?” 

The emphasis on the “now” and the way Bucky nervously glanced at his arm broke Steve’s heart. He quickly stood up and walked over to his nightstand, rummaging around for something. The loss of contact nearly broke Bucky, but it didn’t seem like Steve was trying to leave the room or break up with him so he held out. 

Steve made a noise and held up a small box triumphantly. He made his way back to their spot in the corner of the floor and kneeled down on one knee. 

“James Buchanan Barnes, I’ve loved you since the day I laid eyes on you. You’ve protected me and cared for me when no one else gave me a second glance. We’ve been through thick and thin together, and despite all odds we managed to survive this long and find each other once again. Will you make me the luckiest man alive and marry me?” 

A fresh round of tears fell from Bucky’s eyes and Steve looked hesitant for a moment before Bucky lurched forward to grab kiss Steve and grab the ring.

“‘Till the end of the line.” The engraving on the inside caused Bucky to cry even more.

“Just checking, was that a yes? Are those happy tears?” Steve sounded a bit teasing but also a bit insecure. 

“Yes! Of course I’ll marry you!” Bucky smiled. “Are you sure though?” 

“More sure than I’ve ever been in my life. I did have this plan to take you to the alley in Brooklyn where you first protected me from those bullies and propose, but getting the ring on your finger sooner is much better. It’s a fancy restaurant now by the way, I wasn’t planning on popping the question next to a garbage dumpster.” 

“But you said you didn’t want to get married.” 

“Honey, when did I say that? I’ve always been vocal about how much I want to be yours forever.” 

“Just an hour ago.” Bucky sounded a bit exasperated because Steve had just said it - how could he forget.

“Oh.” Steve burst into a laughing fit. 

Bucky frowned and Steve immediately leaned to kiss his cheek. “I was playing LIFE, the board game. They have a square where it’s mandatory that you must get married and I didn’t want to because if you don’t you have more room in the car for kids which usually gets you more money in the end. Plus, Clint and I were just trolling Bruce by messing around with the rules.” Steve’s face got more serious. “I would never ever say anything as important as that behind your back. We will always talk about things like that first.” 

“Barnes, Rogers what the hell do think you’re - woah, look at that shiny band.” Clint burst in the room without knocking. “Did that just happen? Congratulations guys.” 

Steve smiled and kissed Bucky again. 

“Wait, you just ditched movie night to PROPOSE?” 

There was thumping on the staircase and suddenly Tony and Natasha were staring over Clint’s shoulders. 

“All that help with planning and you did it on the floor in your room? What the hell Rogers?” 

“And you didn’t tell me?” 

Tony and Natasha complained, but it was clear that they were happy for the couple. Bruce was smiling in the background.

“You may’ve gone simple this time, but your engagement party is going to be so luxurious, even -“ 

“It’ll be small Tony.” Steve reminded in a stern voice. Neither he or Bucky wanted a bunch of strangers at their private affair.

“Of course, you think I can’t through giant party for a small amount of people. Just you wait. Bruce, come help me, we’re starting now.” 

Bruce rolled his eyes and mouthed “I’m happy for you guys” before being pulled away. Natasha inspected the ring and then nodded her approval. Clint wished them well again and then gave them some space. Steve was pretty sure a basket with a champagne bottle and glasses had just been lowered from the ceiling though. 

Steve left the party planning to the rest of them. He knew they would make it perfect. Right now, all he wanted to do was spend some time showing the most important man in his life how much he loved him. 


	6. Tears (Stony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony sees Steve crying and feels insecure assuming the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Valentine's Day y'all!

Tony slowly backed out of the kitchen. He’d been lured over by a delicious smell, but what he saw when he arrived had dispelled any thoughts of hunger.

Steve was crying.

Steve never cried. Tony had been dating him for a year now and had been his friend for several more, and he knew for a fact that he’d never seen Steve cry.

At first, he’d assumed it was remnants of 1940’s toxic masculinity, and to be fair, that probably had a large influence in it, but it couldn’t be all of the story. Steve didn’t try to act tough outside of the battlefield. He had no problems making sappy romantic gestures or wearing an apron while he cooked or playing ‘tea time’ with little girls in the hospital. He was openly bisexual. He didn’t seem too affected by old-timey sensibilities besides the occasional need to correct his phrasing.

For example, Pepper had **not** been happy when he asked if she’d found a new John. Seeing her face, he quickly explained that he was only curious if she had a boyfriend because she seemed happier lately. He didn’t mean to butt into her personal life. She laughed and explained that she had only been mad because she thought he was trying to make a dig at her by referring to her as a sex worker. Steve practically choked on his tongue trying to explain how that wasn’t his intention and he would never use sex workers’ occupations as a degradation anyway. She assured him it was alright and helped him fix the mistake because she was a saint. Then, she told him about her relationship with Happy.

Steve rapidly adapted to modern times. He excitedly gushed over medical advancements and accomplishments in social justice on the daily. He was sentimental too. Sometimes his eyes would get red and shiny, but he’d never spilled a tear. Not when he broke almost every bone in his body, not during his nightmares, not when he somberly attended Memorial Day ceremonies, and not when they found Bucky and restored his memories. Not ever.

So Tony was completely shocked to see tears streaming down his boyfriend’s face at four on a Thursday afternoon. It was full-fledged crying, nothing that could be blamed on the chopped onions dispersed on the cutting board. Bucky had a sympathetic look on his face and had pulled Steve into a hug.

_What was Steve crying about? _Tony frantically tried to come up with something. _Was he injured? _No, they hadn’t been on any missions lately. Steve would cry about that anyway. _Could they be happy tears? _Tony shook his head. Steve’s face looked too distressed and Bucky didn’t particularly seem like he’d just been clutching his stomach in laughter either.

Was it him? Tony tried to stay positive about his relationship. His deep-seated insecurities had led to several downward spirals, but Steve was always there to pick up the pieces. If their relationship could survive the rocky start under the influence of Loki’s scepter, Ultron’s destruction, and the fight over Bucky, what could’ve possibly caused a rift now? Tony’s mind was blank. The past week had been heaven on earth. There had been no missions and Steve had spent nearly all of his time going on dates with Tony or showing Bucky the modern world. Tony has initially been jealous of Bucky, but Steve gave a passionate speech and a very *persuasive display* that proved Tony was the only man for him.

Tony fiddled with his hands in the hallway when his thoughts were interrupted. “Are you going to stand out there all day or are you going to come in here and taste test the soup?” Bucky’s voice was light and sarcastic. Tony couldn’t tell if he knew that Tony had walked in earlier.

He stepped into the kitchen. Steve’s face was back to normal, the serum probably reduced redness and puffiness faster than normal. _Does he cry often and I just don’t notice?_ Tony nearly walked into the counter-top. _Wait no, that’s stupid. I spend way too much time with him for him to hide something like that. Plus, I’ve been around him during a lot of his bad moments which would’ve been the time to cry if he was going to do it. _

“Whatcha making?”

“Soup” Bucky answered.

“It’s the kind we used to make as kids.” Steve added. “Except now we have more spices and meat.”

Bucky snorted. “I don’t remember you helping with the cooking.”

Steve crossed his arms and made a childishly pouty face.

“Steve didn’t offer to help? Where were your manners?” Tony teased.

“I sat in the kitchen with you.” Steve answered.

“That’s because you needed the warmth. We only made the soup when we thought you were going to die anyway. It probably has magical properties in resurrecting you.”

“What?” Tony was confused.

“Whenever Stevie got real weak, like wheezing and barely conscious all the time weak, the neighbors would pitch in bits of food from their rations to help out. Stevie’s mother was always kind to them so they wanted to help her grief. Anyway, he always seemed to pull through and we’d have a good soup.”

“They thought you were going to die?”

Tony’s concerned tone apparently went unnoticed as Bucky continued with an amused tone. “Oh yeah, it was a surprise every time he made it through the winter. He was a real feisty thing, it kept him alive.”

“Thank god I don’t have asthma anymore”

“Or heart problems”

“Or constant fevers and colds”

“Or high blood pressure”

“Or scoliosis”

“Or anemia”

“Or stomach ulcers. Plus, now I can see colors and I can hear with both ears.”

Steve and Bucky added onto the list, ignoring Tony’s horrified expression.

“How the hell are you alive?” He spits out.

Steve shrugged. “Willpower I think.”

Tony tried to distract himself from the imagine of a tiny Steve suffering on his deathbed and ended up blurting out “Why were you crying?”

He expected Steve to freeze up or look away. He tensed up in case the answer would change their relationship for the worse.

“Ma used to make soup like this. I miss her.”

“That’s it?” Tony involuntarily let the question slip.

Steve stiffened and Bucky sent an extremely intimidating stare his way.

“I didn’t mean it like that.” Tony quickly rectified his outburst. “It’s a valid thing to be upset over. Everyone struggles with losing a loved one. I was just expecting something more along the lines if you being terminally ill or wanting to break up with me. Not that those are comparable.”

Steve nodded. He understood Tony even when the genius’s words failed him and he dipped into an incoherent ramble. Bucky relaxed.

“I remembered the recipe and asked Stevie if he wanted to make some for her birthday.”

“It’s your mom’s birthday?” Tony felt guilty for not knowing that his boyfriend was suffering, but he knew wallowing in his own feelings wouldn’t help Steve. “I’d offer to help, but you probably want the soup to be edible.” He leaned against a countertop that was out of the way.

Steve gave an amused smile.

Tony spent the rest of the evening listening to Steve and Bucky fondly tell stories about Sarah Rogers. He held Steve when the man got close to the time when his mom died. He found a drawing Steve had done of his mother in one of the museums and ordered they hand it over while Steve went to the bathroom.

He was glad to help Steve through his tough days. He knew Steve would do the same for him.


	7. The Kissing Hand (Stucky)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve helps Bucky be a little more independent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Inspired by the children’s book, The Kissing Hand.

Bucky quickly pushed open the door to the waiting room. He allowed himself to take a breath when he saw Steve smiling over a magazine at him, relaxing in one of the chairs.

“All done?”

Bucky nodded. Steve reached for his hand and they started the walk home, Bucky in silence and Steve rambling about some new exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art. Steve knew how drained therapy sessions made Bucky and repeatedly assured him that he didn’t mind the one-sided conversation. He didn’t expect Bucky to listen or respond - just filled the silence so Bucky wouldn’t get too stuck in his head.

And wasn’t that amazing? Steve was everything Bucky could ever want. He’d believed in him when specialists weren’t sure if his memories would ever be restored. He knew exactly how to calm Bucky during moments when his PTSD reared it’s ugly head. When Bucky accidentally hit Steve during an episode, he shrugged it off and proved to Bucky that he didn’t think it was a big deal. He didn’t expect Bucky to be the same man or that their relationship would pick up right where it left off. He was patient and kind with the pace Bucky set while also reminding Bucky how beautiful he found him, arm and all, when Bucky was feeling most insecure.

Steve was perfect. And that’s why there was always a nagging voice in the back of his mind that his best friend would leave. Yeah, Steve’s friends in modern times were all messed up, but Bucky clearly took the cake. He had tried to kill Captain America, it didn’t matter if Steve said it didn’t count.

Bucky had talked to his therapist about his fear that his issues would drive Steve away. When his memories came back, the pain of finding out Captain America was dead rushed back through him. If not his issues, his clingyness because of said issues which was an issue in itself. She reminded him that Steve, an honest and direct man, had never indicated that he found Bucky’s past to be a dealbreaker. He knew what he signed up for and he loved Bucky for it. The sessions calmed Bucky down about a lot of things, and he was making slow progress on his recovery, but as soon as he left the safety of the therapist’s office, his mind immediately started wondering if Steve would be waiting for him at the end of the hallway.

Steve had been to every one of Bucky’s session. In fact, he’d been everywhere with Bucky. The only time Bucky was ever alone was when he was at home, and even then Steve usually wasn’t gone for more than six hours. Steve introduced Bucky to the rest of the team, who he was already connecting well with, but it didn’t change the fact that he was dependent on Steve.

To be fair, Steve had his own problems to deal with. He was a bit more attached to Bucky than normal as well. The memory of Bucky falling from the train was still fresh in his eidetic memory.

They crossed the threshold into their apartment and Bucky released the last bit of tension he involuntarily held whenever he went outside. Steve went to the kitchen and made some coffee for both of them. He sat down next to Bucky and looked to see if the other man was paying attention.

“Buck?”

“Yeah.” Bucky glanced at his coffee cup while waiting for Steve to say whatever he needed to. It seemed serious from his tone, and Bucky was doing his best not to assume the worst.

“I have a mission. It starts in a few days. I’m going to leave at 5 on Tuesday morning, and I’ll be gone for two or three days.” Bucky wrung his hands nervously and looked back up at Steve. “They need Captain America for this one.”

Steve hadn’t gone on any missions longer than a day since Bucky returned six months ago. Mostly, he’d just been called in to big battles or to destroy HYDRA bases nearby. Clint and Natasha handled all the long intel gathering in Uruguay or the small cells of criminals hiding out in Siberia for the time being.

Steve put his hand on Bucky’s shoulder and pulled in closer to give him a kiss on the cheek. “It’ll be in and out, and I’m going to come back safe. You don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, but Sam and Tony will be here if you need anything.”

Bucky nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll be safe in here eating all your chips and ordering pizza with your card.” He was joking, but Steve still noticed the upset look in his eyes. For the next few days, it was business as usual. Steve and Bucky spent all their time together, maybe a bit more intimate than usual, but nothing major. Bucky was starting to think everything would be alright.

Then, Monday night came. Steve knocked out earlier than normal, knowing he wouldn’t get much sleep during the mission. Bucky told Steve he would stay up for one more show - it was a lie.

Before Steve had left, Bucky realized that he had therapy on Tuesday. He knew he could just cancel and wait until Steve came back, but he wanted to go. There were other things he needed to discuss. He would resolve he was going to therapy, but as soon as he thought about leaving the house alone, he reconsidered. The task was just too daunting. That just brought up more issues which clearly meant he needed to go to therapy.

Bucky’s mental war waged on all night and when he heard Steve start packing at 3:00, he knew he needed Steve’s opinion.

“Steve?”

Steve looked him up and down slowly, considering his current condition. There was concern in his eyes when he spoke. “Bucky, you know you could’ve woken me up if you were having trouble sleeping.”

“You have the mission tomm-today and you need your sleep. Plus, it’s not that important.” Steve looked like he was going to disagree with that statement, but Bucky kept talking. “Should I go to therapy today?”

“Do you want to go to therapy today? It’s good to go to therapy because it seems to be helping you, but it’s also dependent on how your feeling. If you’re really not feeling up for it, and you don’t think you’ll get anything out of it, it’s fully within your rights to not go. No one will judge you.” Steve spoke slowly and softly.

“I want to go.”

“Alright.”

“I just don’t want to get there.”

Steve’s eyes widened with realization. “Would you like me to ask Sam or -“ His question died when he saw Bucky vehemently shake his head. “They wouldn’t think any less of you. Sam is especially understanding of PTSD and other mental illnesses affecting veterans.”

“Does that include amnesiac assassins?” Bucky’s voice was harsh - a testament to his lack of sleep and anxiety. “Sorry, I didn’t mean that. I mean, I’d rather go alone. I just want to be able to handle it.”

“Hey, you will be able to handle it. I know you can. It’s up to you if the time feels right. How about I call Tony and - stop doing that and listen for a second - and he’ll have a driver ready to pick you up if at any point you want to be away from people and just go home? It won’t even matter if you decide to go or not, he’ll just have one on standby.”

Bucky’s facial expression seemed to convey relief at that idea because Steve smiled and shot off a text.

“I’m going to make some breakfast before you leave.”

“Thanks Buck. I’ll be down in a few after packing the rest of these outfits.”

When Steve came down, their omelettes were just ready to be eaten. They made casual conversation during breakfast. Bucky teased Steve by asking questions about the mission that he knew Steve couldn’t answer, and then answered the questions because he’d learned how to hack the servers. He didn’t try to think to hard about how he’d acquired that skill.

Right before he left, Steve pulled out a red permanent marker from seemingly nowhere. It wasn’t a surprise, Steve was just as clean and organized as he had been in the army with everything except his art supplies which were scattered all over the house. He gently grabbed Bucky’s left hand and drew a small red heart in the center. While it dried, he flipped the hand over and lovingly kissed each knuckle. He ended by kissing the heart and then curling the metal hand into a fist.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m leaving some love with you as a kiss. Will you hold onto it for me until I get back?”

Bucky blushed. “Steve, you’re being childish.”

Steve ignored the comment. “I’ll be with you even if I can’t walk you to therapy or wait in the lobby or talk about nonsense afterwards. I’ll be with you if you decide not to go. Just squeeze your hand if you need a little reassurance.” He then kissed Bucky on the lips. “I really need to go now though. Get some sleep. I love you.” He was then gone.

Bucky decided to nap until therapy. He’d see how he was feeling come late afternoon. He may have felt a little silly holding his left hand over his chest, but it made him happy so he didn’t care.

When he woke up, he felt refreshed and ready to take on the world. Well, maybe not the world, but at least therapy.

His resolve wavered a bit as he locked the front door behind him. He traced the heart with his finger all the way to therapy, forcing himself to keep his breathing even and not think about all the people surrounding him.

His therapist praised him for stepping out of his comfort zone and coming to therapy alone. He felt proud.

That is until he opened the door to the waiting room and saw a bunch of unfamiliar faces. He closed the door, choosing to remain in the empty hallway. His heart was pounding in his chest. _Steve’s fine. He’s on a mission and can’t be in the waiting room right now. He hasn’t left you._ Bucky sat on the floor, repeating the mantra that everything was fine in his head. After a while, he remembered the mark on his hand and smiled involuntarily. _Of course Steve loves him. He wasn’t alone because Steve was with him._

Bucky managed to make his way outside again and start the walk home. While waiting at a crosswalk, because former assassins and super soliders do follow the law as much as they can, his phone buzzed. He quickly hit the accept button when he saw it was Steve.

“Hi, Buck. How are you doing?”

Bucky told him he was doing fine and that he made it to therapy without much incident. He didn’t open up about his session, which was still very fresh, but that wasn’t anything new.

Steve informed that the mission had ended up going much faster than expected because of a good call of Natasha’s so he’d be home by the end of the day. He filled the time with mundane details about the flight and the meal he’d managed to have.

“I’ve gotta go. Love you.”

“Love you too Steve.” Bucky smiled and squeezed his fist. He would never admit how much he liked the gesture. The call had calmed him down immensely and he was in a good mood looking forward to Steve’s return. He decided to push himself a little bit more and grab food at the Italian place Steve loves so much.

He was proud that he’d been able to talk to the woman at the restaurant without panicking and that he came home with food he knew would make Steve happy. When the super solider returned home, he grinned at Bucky and told him over and over how proud he was.

“You got me food? I just might have to marry you right now.” Steve excitedly dig into the bag. Bucky’s heart swelled, but he tabled that discussion for another time. They ate happily. It was frighteningly domestic for a former assassin with a metal arm and a man in a Captain America uniform that was still dirty with alien goop.

“You need to shower. You stink.”

Steve pretended to look offended and then laughed. He took a glob of alien goop and swiped it onto Bucky’s arm. Now you’ll have to shower with me.

Bucky knew it was an invitation. He could wash his arm in the sink and Steve wouldn’t hold it against him. He followed Steve to the bathroom.

Just before they got there, Steve abruptly turned around and grabbed Bucky’s metal hand. He squeezed it.

“What was that for?”

“I’m taking my love back. I need all of it to give to you in the shower.”

“You’re a sap.”

“That’s why you’re stuck with me.”

Bucky smiled. He didn’t mind being stuck to the cheesy, sap that was Steve Rogers, not one bit.


	8. Body Switch (Stony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve and Tony switch bodies.

“Ironman, you need to disengage. We have no idea what that pod could be capable of.”

Tony rolled his eyes. Just because they weren’t enemies anymore, they had eventually become friends and recently become lovers, didn’t mean Tony would obey all of Steve’s orders. It just wasn’t in his nature.

So he poked at the squishy purple goop that had dropped from the alien ship as it retreated. He saw Steve lurch forward, anger prevalent on his face, from the corner of his eye before his vision filled with grey mist.

“Beep. Beep. Beep.” Even in his achy, tired state, he could recognize the telltale signs of a heart monitor. Tony knew he was in a hospital before he even opened his eyes. Fortunately, his wealth allowed him a private room and a more comfortable bed, but the beds usually still weren’t good. This one seemed way too small. Did they stick him in the children’s wing?

Tony blinked his eyes and surveyed the room. It was bland and most definitely an adult’s room. He grinned as he took survey of all his limbs and they didn’t feel too awful. The headache he had was mild at best.

With a start, he realized Natasha was standing next to the bed.

“Finally getting up?” She asked teasingly.

Tony was a little surprised. Natasha wasn’t exactly his closest friend. His usual “bedside attendants” were Pepper, Steve, Bruce, or Rhodey, but he wasn’t going to complain. He valued his life.

“Is that any way to treat a patient. I could’ve died.”

He waited for a retort, probably something about how he shouldn’t stick his finger in alien shit if he didn’t want to die.

“You don’t need to do that every time.” Natasha sighed.

Well that was unexpected.

“If Stark wants to make bad decisions, that’s on him. You shouldn’t sacrifice yourself even if you are dating him or leading the team.” She wiped the melancholy look off her face. “Anyway, Wilson and Barnes wanted me to tell you that they were sorry they couldn’t be here, but they’d be back for the next time you ‘pull some stupid crackhead shit’. Their words, not mine.”

“What?”

Natasha quirked an eyebrow. “You’ve got nothing to say about that except ‘what?’ Did you hit your head or something?”

“I can’t remember. Why would Barnes and Wilson apologize for not being here? They’ve never waited at my bedside. Also, you can tell them I’m a genius, none of my decisions are stupid.”

Natasha’s eyes went wide with concern. She swore in Russian under her breath and pressed a button on her phone. Within the minute, Bruce was walking into the room with a mildly panicked look in his eyes.

"Brucie, what’s got your panties in a twist? I promise I feel a-okay. Good as new. Actually, I’m feeling pretty great all things considered. My chest is...” Tony’s voice wavered as he felt for the arc reactor. It wasn’t there. Was this why Bruce and Natasha seemed off? Was he going to die? He needed to tell them where the spare was and what the code was and how to transfer it into him and... Tony began to hyperventilate.

Immediately, Natasha began rubbing his shoulder, slowly and deliberately. “It’s alright Steve. You’re in the 21st century. The war is over.”

Tony forced himself to calm down a tad. He managed a choked “arc reactor?”

Bruce flashed a soft smile his way. “Tony’s fine. He’s asleep in the other room.”

“What? I’m Tony!”

Bruce and Natasha glanced at each other, confusion evident in their features. Bruce grabbed a mirror and pointed it at Tony.

“Steve, look. This is you. I’m going to need to check you out for any brain damage since you seem to be delirious.”

Tony screamed when he saw his reflection. It was Steve’s face.

The door burst open with a crash. “What happened? Why do I look like Tony?”

“Steve?”

“Who are you?”

“It’s Tony. Why are you wearing my body?”

“Why are you wearing my body?”

Both men stared at each other with wide eyes. The other two looked between them in shock.

“I think we switched bodies-“

“I’m dreaming.”

They attempted to speak at the same time. Tony was calm. Crazier stuff had happened to them, especially when aliens were involved. Steve was in denial.

Eventually, the three present Avengers convinced Steve that he wasn’t dreaming, but they still couldn’t fully grasp Tony’s idea that the men had switched bodies.

“Haven’t any of you seen Freaky Friday?”

“Tony that isn’t a documentary.”

“No.”

“Is that a movie?”

“First of all, Natasha and Steve need an update in pop culture. How could you not know what Freaky Friday is?”

“I know what it is - I just haven’t watched it. I doubt that it goes over the logistics of real life body swaps.” Natasha explained hotly.

Steve just shrugged. He still had a lot of catching up to do.

“Well, luckily, it isn’t fatal and it doesn’t seem to be injuring either of you so we can all head home for now. We’ll work on figuring things out from there.”

Luckily, hospitals were something both Steve and Tony hated so they were obedient in leaving promptly.

—————

“Um, Tony?”

Tony turned his head at Bruce’s concerned voice.

“You’re crushing the door handle.”

He looked down and realized that the formerly sleek, modern-chic doorknob was now a bumpy hunk of metal. He flipped his hand around and stared in shock. He hadn’t even felt himself exerting extreme pressure.

Steve opened his mouth to speak, probably to give advice, but Tony was already filled with adrenaline. He wanted to test everything. Steve never participated in his data collecting because he didn’t like feeling like an experiment again. This was his chance.

Tony sprinted up the stairs at lightening speed. He grabbed some heavy equipment from his lab with ease and continued to the gym without breaking a sweat. He was just connecting some wires to a special treadmill when he could hear Steve approaching.

He turned his head to confront Steve, reverently making excuses as to why this was absolutely necessary, when he realized that Steve was not in the room.

A few moments later, his boyfriend walked through the door. “Enhanced hearing!” Tony snapped his fingers and moved to add “enhanced senses” onto the list of things to explore, but was disrupted by the sound of wheezing.

Pulled from his trance, Tony noticed that his boyfriend was bent over, wheezing in pain.

“Are you okay?”

Steve held up a finger while he caught his breath. He stared into Tony’s eyes with a bit of sadness. “Does your chest always feel like this?”

Tony tried to think. His chest just felt like a normal chest. It wasn’t superhuman - maybe that’s what Steve was talking about? Or maybe he meant the arc reactor? It didn’t hurt, but sometimes it could get uncomfortable if he laid on his stomach. Also, if he hurt his chest the pain was fairly intense.

If he hurt his chest...

Shit.

A vivid memory of being hit in the chest with an alien baton flooded Tony’s mind.

Feeling a bit guilty, and extremely mad at the alien, Tony slowly guided Steve to sit down. “No, the arc reactor doesn’t hurt, cross my heart.” Tony ignored Steve’s skeptical expression. “I was rammed in the chest during our battle and the reactor makes it a bit more painful. There are some pain killers in the medical bay, do you want me to fetch them?”

Steve still seemed like he didn’t believe Tony. “Sweetheart, I promise I would tell you if my chest hurt. I know I don’t have the best track record with hiding injuries, but this is the truth. Tomorrow or the next day it will feel normal again.”

Steve relaxed. “Do you think we’ll still be like this then?”

“I can’t tell if you want it to so you can verify my claims or if you’re unhappy with that idea?”

Steve shrugged. “At least the pain killers will work now.”

Tony took that as his cue to leave and headed toward where he knew the medications were stored. On the way, he couldn’t help but examine how Steve had acted.

Steve only complained about the chest pain, but he was clearly displaying symptoms of other ailments. He had rubbed his back in the way Tony recognized as the way he himself rubbed when he was feeling back pain. He noticed the way Steve unconsciously scratched at the flaky skin near his elbow and winced when he pushed against the many bruises Tony’s body had accumulated.

Tony felt a bit guilty. Being trapped in Steve’s body was more like a vacation. It was similar to being twenty and invincible all over again with the added benefit of being super. Going from the picture of health to Tony’s body must be well...

Tony felt bad for Steve. He knew his body wasn’t awful. In fact, he was in much better shape than some men half his age. He also knew that logically, Steve knew how to deal with being sick, achey, and sore. His pre-serum body hadn’t disappeared that long ago in his mind.

He was still terrified though. Terrified that Steve would recognize the easily formed bruises and difficulty rushing up the stairs for what they were - signs of aging.

Steve had cried tears of joy the day he got his first wrinkle - an adorable, barely-noticeable smile line in the corner of his eye. He’d rejoiced in the fact that he was capable of aging and that he wouldn’t have to leave everyone he loved again. Bruce has determined that Steve would probably live around the same age as a normal, healthy person. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t age with much more grace than the average person, aka Tony.

On top of the fact that Steve’s aging process would be much more glamorous than Tony’s, with his super metabolism, ability to repair most skin damage, and nonexistent chance of hair loss, Steve was already nearly a decade younger than Tony. Tony might be younger than Steve in a sense, but he definitely wouldn’t look it.

Logically, Tony knew Steve loved him. He said it often enough. But Steve was the picture of physical perfection. He was young and fit. He could be with anyone of his choosing. It made Tony sick to think that Steve would come to that realization once he had the tangible proof of Tony’s older age.

Tony didn’t realize he had cracked the plastic bottle until a cascade of pills plinked against the title floor. Tony bent down to grab the white pills.

Pills.

Steve’s in pain.

Tony was snapped from his thoughts as he collected the painkillers from the floor to bring to Steve. He quickly rushed over to the room where his lover was.

“I’m back.”

Steve jumped a bit at Tony’s announcement. “Sorry, I’ve gotten used to being able to hear people when they’re further away than that….Hey, are you feeling okay?” He looked concerned.

“I think that’s just what your face always looks like.” Tony teased and tried to smile.

“I can recognize a fake smile, especially if it’s yours. Even if it’s on my face. What happened?”

“Nothing.”

Steve shot Tony an exasperated glance as he washed down a pill with some water. “Is one a normal amount? I’ve never had modern pills before.”

Tony placed motioned for Steve to grab a second one. They sat in silence for a few minutes. Steve knew Tony well enough to know that he hated silence, and, if given enough time, he would spill what was upsetting him.

“Do the aches bother you?”

“What?”

“The aches - the ones in my body. Do they bother you?”

“No. Tony, they really aren’t that bad. I’ve had much worse plus the medicine is starting to kick in. Shouldn’t you know that? Are they usually really bad?” Steve’s voice sped up a touch as he convinced himself that Tony was living in pain just to avoid being a burden.

“No! No, they aren’t bad. I just…I’m old.”

“Where is this coming from?”

“You can feel it now. That my body is old and not as perfect as yours.”

“Tony. Of course your body isn’t like mine.”

Tony winced a little, waiting for the realization to hit Steve.

“Tony, hey, look at me. My body isn’t even like my body. It’s a scientific invention. You can’t possibly compare yourself to a body that’s completely unachievable by normal means.”

“I could still have a better one though. It’s all -“

“-Tony, stop. What is this about? Your body is amazing. You could easily pass for someone ten years younger than you. Did something about this body switching business cause this?”

“Would you prefer someone who was actually ten years younger?”

Steve sighed, the true intent behind Tony’s words finally clicking into place. “Tony, I love you. I love the way you never hesitate to suit up and protect innocent lives. I love the way you get so excited when you talk about all the genius inventions you’re working on. I love all the thought and care you put into ensuring that the team is cared for and happy. You’re a brave, compassionate, intelligent man. I love you.”

“But you didn’t-“

“-And your body. You are, by far, the sexiest man I’ve ever met. I adore looking at you. Do I need to show you all the sketches I’ve done of you again? Tony, I’m the luckiest man alive. I have the most amazing boyfriend ever. Even if he wasn’t attractive at all, he’d still be a better match for me than anybody else in the world, but he is attractive. He’s the total package. Seventy years in ice was worth the wait.”

Tony was blushing now. He was usually able to hide the flush that rose in his cheeks during situations like these, but Steve’s Irish heritage wasn’t affording him any luxuries this time.

\----------

Tony was practically bouncing off the walls come the next morning. His curiosity had been renewed and he couldn’t wait to test out all the things he’d wanted to try in Steve’s body. The fast metabolism also gave him way more energy than he normally had at such a ridiculously early time in the morning.

Steve was just standing off to the side, letting Tony blow off steam by jumping over increasingly higher hurdles when Bruce came in with an excited expression.

“I figured it out!”

Bruce waved some papers in front of Steve’s face and started explaining something in jargon that Steve couldn’t keep up with.

“Um?”

“Oh, right, Steve. That’s you. Sorry, I kind of forgot. Basically, this” he waved his hand between Steve and Tony “should wear off by tomorrow afternoon, possibly earlier.”

“Oh. Thank you!” Steve grinned.

Tony, having just barely cleared the last hurdle, came over to see what all the fuss was about. He ended up on the receiving end of Bruce’s complex speech, but unlike Steve, he actually understood most of it.

The scientists were deeply involved in some alternate theories when the Avengers alarm went off. Thankfully, Steve, being the master tactician he is, forced Tony to have a serious conversation about this possibility during the previous evening. After several hours of training, they’d agreed that Steve could fly the suit, as long as Tony had an external remote to take over if something went wrong. They’d also agreed that Tony should be able to join the fight as Steve because, even though he wasn’t nearly as well trained, he had accumulated a fundamental knowledge of hand to hand combat from Natasha and Clint. Steve’s body also had extremely fast reflexes and finely tuned instincts.

So when the alarm went off, everyone was prepared. They rushed off to fight against the newest threat to New York City. All was going well until Tony rushed through a collapsing building to grab one of the villains before he escaped. The doorframe ended up falling the wrong way and smashed into Tony’s back and legs.

Tony could clearly hear his own voice yelling at him through the earpiece in a mixture of panicked concern and frustrated anger.

When the team finally reached him, they’d annihilated the threat.

“Don’t get so pissy Steve. I’m sorry I hurt your body, but it’ll heal before you’re back in it anyway.” Tony didn’t understand why Steve was so upset by the injury. He’d taken many similar hits and allowed the serum to fix him up with no issues. It’s not like there’d be scarring or chronic pain.

Steve just stayed silent and stood by Tony as he was loaded onto a stretcher and carried into the jet. They rushed him out as soon as the plane touched down in their personal medical facility. Steve rushed alongside them, still as silent as ever.

“Steve?” It took Tony a second, but he realized the doctor was addressing him because, of course, he was in Steve’s body. He gave her his attention. “In the time it took for you to get here, the serum took over the healing process and the injured bones and muscles aren’t in the correct positions. You know the drill so we’ll have you in and out as fast as possible.

Tony frowned a bit. That was unfortunate. Surgery wasn’t the worst thing in the world, but it still wasn’t high on the list of activities he enjoyed. At least the recovery time would be almost nothing, right?

Steve squeezed Tony’s hand. “I’m going to go in with you.”

“What?” Although they were dating, it wasn’t very common for them to actually go in the room when the other got injured. They didn’t want to get in the way of the surgeons or anything so they’d just wait in the hall for any news. In fact, Tony had never been around when Steve was being operated on.

“I want to go in.”

“Alright? I mean I guess if you think they’ll make a mistake with your body, you have a right to oversee everything. Do you think they’re going to try and take the serum or something?”

Steve looked at Tony with a pained look in his eyes. “No, Tony I trust you and I trust the doctors very much. I just need to tell you something before we go in.”

Tony swallowed nervously. Steve seemed really upset over whatever this was. Despite himself, he nodded.

“You know how my metabolism is extremely fast?”

Tony nodded again.

“And that it’s even faster when it comes into contact with substances it identifies as harmful?”

“Yes.”

“Because of that anesthetics don’t work on me.” 

The gurney was now in the room and Tony was being prepped for surgery.

Time seemed to stand still as Tony processed what Steve was warning him about. He became faintly aware that Steve was putting on a gauntlet.

“Are you ready?” The doctor spoke up. Usually, she would give patients time to emotionally prep for a surgery like this, but the serum complicated things and they needed to act fast to prevent further damage.

“Tony?” Steve stared into Tony’s eyes and offered up his gauntlet covered hand.

Tony nodded.

—————

He woke up feeling a bit groggy and sore. The first thing he noticed as consciousness flooded through him was Steve sitting on a chair next to the bed.

“How’re you doing?” His voice sounded a bit hesitant. It was clear he knew Tony was physically fine, but he wanted to know what his mental state was like.

Natasha was also standing in the room. She had a Gatorade and a box of crackers. “Steve likes to pretend like he doesn’t need anything, but he knows he feels better after surgery once she gets some food.”

“You knew?” Tony felt a little nauseas as flashbacks from the procedure popped into his mind. He could distinctly remember the excruciating pain of being cut into. The sickening sound of his bones being broken and reset. His only saving grace was clutching onto Steve’s hand with everything he had.

A flash of guilt crossed her face. “You didn’t?” She shot a pointed look at Steve, disappointed at his communication skills. Then, she gently placed the food on the edge of the bed and gave them space to talk.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Steve averted his eyes. 

“It would just worry you. There’s nothing you could do anyway. Bruce tried.”

“Bruce knew?”

“Well, he has provided me with medical care before. He was bound to know.”

“And Natasha?”

“Natasha was with me the first time I needed surgery after I woke up. Sam and Bucky also know. Especially because Buck has the same issue.”

“Did everyone know but me?”

“No. No one else but the people I listed knew about it.”

“Steve, why would you keep this from me? Every time you went in for a surgery you were effectively undergoing torture. I could’ve stood in there with you. Helped you.” Tony’s voice sounded small. That procedure was terrifying, and he couldn’t imagine Steve going through it alone time after time. “Better yet, why would you take all those stupid risks in battle?”

“I have the serum. It’ll take care of me. It’s my responsibility to use the gift I’ve been granted to protect those who have not been as lucky.”

“Steve...” Tony sighed, seeing the resolute look in Steve’s eyes. “Steve, you have to promise to tone it down for me. I know you don’t think about it this way but your life is so valuable. I don’t know what I would do if you were...” His voice trailed off and his eyes filled with tears.

“Tony. I promise you that isn’t going to happen.”

“You can’t -“ Tony tried to argue that Steve had no way of promising that he wouldn’t die, but was interrupted by Steve squeezing his way onto the small hospital bed.

Tony blanched for a moment, forgetting his train of thought. His body felt so small compared to Steve’s.

“So now you’re not worried about jousting me?” Tony’s voice finally worked again. “Every other time I’ve gotten the smallest injury you’ve been like ‘Tony, I can’t get into the hospital bed with you: three of your ribs are broken’ or ‘we can’t have sex when you have third degree burns over your shoulder’.”

“Are you asking me to get out?” Steve teased and made a movement like he was going to sit up.

“No!” Tony grabbed him and tugged him back, possibly a bit harder than intended. Steve tried to rub his arm as subtly as possible. “That’s because this time I know for a fact you’re okay. You can’t lie to me about my body.”

Tony made a pouty face, but was honestly just glad to have Steve by his side.

“And Tony?” Tony nodded to indicate he heard. “That’s the reason why I take the hits. I’m not trying to kill myself. It’s because I know those hits could kill you or Clint or Natasha while I’d just have one night of pain. And I know all of you are capable of handling the situations on your own - hell, in the Ironman suit you could definitely make it out okay. I just worry about you so much. I’d rather have one night of pain than live without any of you. I can’t lose you Tony.”

Tony was speechless. All he could do was lean his head onto Steve’s and squeeze his hand.

Eventually, Steve fell asleep. Despite his insistence that he knew his body would be okay, he had been worried about Tony waking up alone or in pain so he stayed up the whole night. It showed. Tony drifted off again about an hour after Steve, still recovering.

When Steve woke up, he felt normal again. He quickly looked over to see Tony sleeping on his chest. Tony in his own body. He sighed in relief, the spell had worn off just as Bruce predicted.

He kissed Tony’s forehead and curled him in closer. Tony smiled and unconsciously snuggled into the warmth. Everything was going to be alright.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay safe everyone!


	9. Jealous (Stony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is literally just a half-baked idea from all this quarantine and transferring to online class.

Plink.

Plink.

Plonk.

Peter distractedly tried to flick disfigured paper clips into a nearby waste-paper basket. His arm was resting on the desk, supporting his head. He sighed and looked around the tiny room. It had been nearly three hours since they’d arrived, and he was bored out of his mind. 

Tony was trying to nap on the bed across the room, which in reality was only like four feet from Peter’s chair. The only technology in the room was the headpiece of the Ironman suit, and that was a far cry from the lab materials that the genius was interested in. Peter’s phone had gotten smashed in the battle. One of the shape-shifting acrobats had caught him by surprise and slit his web, leaving him to ram into a building.

He was fine now, besides the unending boredom.

After the battle, Tony and Peter, alongside Clint and Natasha, were whisked off into the Stark Tower Quarantine Zone. Fury had insisted one get built after the outbreak of a new strain of bacteria had nearly ravished the planet. 

Unfortunately, the disease was asymptomatic for the first several days, when it was also most contagious. Once it became symptomatic, it was almost certain death, the infection penetrating most of the body. 

Because of that, most of the world had banded together in declaring a state of emergency. Everything was locked down. Tony had helped immensely with the adaptations, providing robots for any services he could design them to do so that people didn’t have to risk their lives. 

The disease could be treated with a near 100% survival rate if it was caught between the first two days, but it wasn’t practical for people to get tested every day, so they were all on lockdown. Even if they were willing to be tested every day, and there was enough medical staff to support that, there was the risk that excessive treatment would allow the bacteria to evolve into one that didn’t have that two day grace period, and no one wanted that.

So, even most of the Avengers stayed locked down unless there was an emergency. Tony’s suit couldn’t filter out the bacteria, as amazing as they were - Clint and Natasha were only human, and somehow Peter’s spider sense hadn’t protected him from it, which was discovered by a mandatory test once he got home from the last day of in-session class. 

Steve and Bucky, although clearly having been exposed, had been unable to contract or transmit the disease. The radiation did a similar thing for Bruce. Because of that, those three weren’t in quarantine, they were out helping.

And Tony and Peter were losing their minds. Even after their brief stint outside, they had interacted with civilians in a nearby building. Therefore, under new protocol, they were to be tested. But every nurse, doctor, and medical student was swamped at the moment with mass testing and civilian patients. Of course, no one wanted to step in front of that when they knew they had at least a day and a half. So they waited patiently.

Well, not patiently per say, but patiently when a nurse came in with some information. 

The sound of tapping on glass immediately caught Peter’s attention, and he grinned when he saw Steve, in his complete Captain America suit, knocking at their glass door. He excitedly waved the man in. At the doorway, Steve’s uniform was sprayed with a blast of disinfectant. 

The burst of air was enough to wake Tony up. Steve looked sheepishly at his boyfriend, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

“I would be pissed if you didn’t. It’s not like I’ve got anything else to do.” Tony smiled and pecked Steve on the lips.

“Hey!” Peter exaggeratedly crosses his arms. “I’m here too.”

“That’s true, Peter’s not boring. Thank God I'm with him and not one of the wonder twins. What do you think they would even talk about? I bet Natasha just thinks up all the ways she could kill me with stuff in this room.”

“Tony.” Steve chastised. “I brought you guys some food. This is one of Sam’s creations so dig in.” 

Peter and Tony happily scarfed down some food while they chatted with Steve. They mostly talked about new inventions to help the sick and quarantined. 

“Enough about that, what have you been doing all day?” Tony directed the question at Steve. 

“Well, let me think.” Steve teased as he stroked his chin. “In the morning, I seem to remember taking down a couple of shape-shifting-“ 

Tony rolled his eyes moments before there was another noise at the door. It was tapping. Steve immediately leaned back to see his best friend tapping at the thick glass. He nodded a couple times then lifted his arm up and fist-bumped Bucky through the glass with a smile on his face. 

“I’ve gotta head out soon. They need more supplies.” 

Tony and Peter had realized that the tapping was Morse code, but neither of them had ever learned it so they just waited. 

“He couldn’t have said it out loud?” Tony carefully kept the whine from his voice. 

“He didn’t want to disinfect. The glass is too thick to normally talk through. You prepared it too well honey.”

Tony wouldn’t deny that he preened a bit at the compliment, but it wasn’t as much as usual. Because right then, it seemed like a deflection. Why was Steve steering the conversation away from Bucky? What had he been smiling about if it was just a supply delivery? 

“I think they could be better if...” Peter chose to believe that Tony’s silence allowed him to throw his suggestions for better cells into the ring. 

Steve listened and thoughtfully nodded at the teen’s explanations, but he sent more than one concerned glance at his lover. 

Before he left, he made sure to wrap Tony in a hug. He also carefully checked for injury or any sign of disease - just in case.

“Wait, let me go with you.” Tony tried again, though he knew the answer. “I can help. My helmet is pretty effective as a mask anyway.”

“You gave all your full protection masks to doctors and nurses Tony. All you have is your helmet and that’s not 100% effective. You’ve gotta stay in, get tested, stay safe.” Steve waved as he excited the door. “You too Peter.” 

Peter happily waived back and started to fold the paper clips again. This time in an intricate pattern of a spider.

Steve and Bucky walked passed the window, Bucky clutching himself in laughter and Steve with a giant goofy grin. 

Tony smiled for a second. Just seeing Steve look happy could brighten up his day. But, after the brief contentment, darker feelings arose. Steve was spending all day with Bucky. Neither of them had medical training for diseases, so Tony didn’t actually know what they were doing, but he knew that this had been going on for weeks, and his boyfriend was spending all of his waking hours with Bucky and none of them with him. 

Peter noticed the downturn of his mentors lips and flicked a paper clip at him. It landed right on his nose. The teen snorted and yelled “Twenty points.”

By the time the nurses, clearly run ragged, had come around to the Avengers wing, Tony and Peter had an incredibly complicated point system involving body parts and trick shots and size of paper clips, and they were so engrossed in flicking the bits of metal at each other that they almost didn’t notice their nurse came in.

The only reason they did notice is because Tony overshot a skillfully folded paper clip right into the nurse’s clipboard. “Whoops.”

Peter giggled and mouthed, you’re in trouble, at Tony. 

The nurse just rolled his eyes with a little smirk. “Thanks for being so patient. I’m just going to take a blood sample and it should just be another hour. After I send the sample off, I’m going to check you both for any wounds that are prone to infection and take the basics - blood pressure, temperature, etc. How does that sound?”

Peter and Tony both agreed and let the man continue with his job. They both continued to flick stuff at each other whenever his back was turned though. 

It ended with Peter - 728 and Tony - 654. Tony said Peter had been practicing all while he was napping so that’s why. 

Once they were released, they were able to go up past the abandoned workroom floors of the tower and into their living area. Peter started making dinner and Tony went upstairs to change out of his dirty clothes.

But without the distraction, he began to stew again. What was Steve doing? 

Tony’s feelings kept him up way past Peter. The kid was snoring in his bed while Tony designed a new helmet. He knew he wouldn’t have the materials to make it for a while, the factories making them had shut down and medical providers had any remaining ones, but he would definitely have it set up before the next pandemic. 

When Steve slipped into the room, still with a smile on his face. Tony lost it. 

“Stop.” 

Steve immediately froze by the doorway. His face morphed into concern. “What’s wrong, do you have it?” 

“No, but I just think if you’re so concerned about spreading the disease then maybe you should sleep in another room.” 

“Tony. I showered in the gym and changed clothes. There’s no possible way for me to transmit the disease.” Steve stepped forward.

“Nope, there is always a way. What if it’s evolved?” Tony’s tone made it clear that he didn’t believe that, but it didn’t matter. “You’ve been spending so much time out there with Barnes - it’s clearly important to you.” 

“Tony-“ Steve’s voice had a slight inflection of anger, but nonetheless, Tony cut him off before he could speak.

“Goodnight.” 

Steve’s jaw clenched, but he obediently walked out the door, which clicked behind him, curtesy of JARVIS.

He stalked the furthest guest room away from their bedroom and let himself cool off a bit. He knew Tony was bored, but how dare he be mad at him for just wanted to help. It was a crisis for god’s sake, what did he want Steve to do? Was Captain America only allowed outside if Iron Man could come too? Was he not his own person?

And he was just worried about Tony. He loved the man, and he didn’t want to see him succumb to disease. He’d seen it. He’d seen kids at the orphanage cough until they didn’t have any breath in their lungs. He’d seen the elderly at the hospitals he visited pass away in violent pain from rashes and blisters. He’d seen good men in the trenches die before ever encountering a Nazi because of the infections in their foot wounds. He’d seen the beginnings of polio and tuberculosis and influenza.

Things were different now, with better food and sanitary water and advanced medicine, but some things were the same. And Steve wouldn’t survive losing Tony. If Tony was upset that he had to stay in, well it was worth being upset at to keep him safe.

After a physically and mentally exhausting day, by reminding himself that Tony was safe and healthy, Steve was able to fall asleep. 

Tony, who hadn’t done anything all day and was full of energy, didn’t have that luxury. His genius brain was coming up with scenario after scenario of terrible ways Steve would leave him in this post-apocalyptic world.

Steve loved the outdoors. Maybe he wasn’t even- That was a lie, Steve could never leave the sick and injured alone just to have fun outside. But if Tony could never go outside again? Steve would definitely leave him. That was also ridiculous, this wasn’t going to last forever - his life wasn’t a zombie movie.

“Sir?”

“JARVIS”

“I may have something to help you with your current predicament.” 

“Well shoot.”

“These are some videos of Steve Rogers over the last few weeks. He has not blocked your access. Would you like to see them?”

Tony leaned back with a shocked expression on his face. “Are you getting in the middle of our fight?”

“I’m just providing facts to assist with your thoughts, sir.” 

Tony contemplated it for a moment. Whose side was JARVIS taking? Would the videos show Steve cheating? A sense of dread filled Tony. He hadn’t actually thought Steve was cheating: deep down, he trusted the man more than anything.

Noticing the change in facial expression and vital signs, JARVIS took the liberty of showing Tony the videos. 

————

Steve was carrying a stack of boxes taller than he was. He maneuvered into the disinfectant room, sprayed himself down and carefully did the same for each box. When he went inside, there were plenty of boxes against the wall of the hospital, some opened to reveal masks, hand sanitizer, and medical swabs and syringes. Nurses were grabbing items from the boxes frequently and redistributing them within the hospital. 

As soon as he set the boxes down, Steve walked out again. He started jogging. JARVIS had to switch to a different security feed, but it showed Steve collecting supplies from various spots around town and then heading back to the hospital. Once he was close to the door again. Bucky came out. Steve smiled and nodded, but they didn’t stop their duties to even talk for a moment. 

—————

Steve was sitting in an overstuffed antique chair. He enthusiastically gestured for the elderly woman sitting across from him to continue her story while he looked at the cards in his hand. Both women were smiling. It was clear that they had not gotten much social interaction or sunshine since this whole thing started, but they were extremely happy to tell Steve stories about their lives or the nursing home or whatever and to listen to his stories about the outside world. 

JARVIS sped up the feed to show that Steve had spent nearly five hours going from person to person in the nursing home. An aide stopped him before he left and profusely thanked him for his time. 

—————

The next video also appeared to be at a care facility. Steve and Bucky were solemnly looking down at a woman on a hospital bed. The heart monitor showed that she had passed. Steve was holding her hand and Bucky had his hand on Steve’s shoulder with a few tears on his cheeks. They say their goodbyes and leave the nurses to do their job.

Once they’re outside Bucky pulls Steve into a hug for a few seconds. As they walk outside, presumably to go back to the tower, they talk about what they remember about the woman from the thirties, when she was several years younger than them. 

They take a detour to go the long way home. They talk about all the men and women they knew who died of diseases back then. They praise modern medicine, but in a bittersweet way amidst the epidemic. 

Bucky says he’s glad he doesn’t have to worry about Steve dying of disease, but jokingly says he would appreciate if the blonde could pull his head out of his ass and stop taking stupid risks in the field. Steve laughs and heads up to the tower.

He passes his room with Tony and goes to his own room, an empty, unused one from years ago. Steve bends down and slides a box out from underneath the bed. Tony recognizes it as the one his father kept for Steve, which Tony had given him.

Steve looked through the photos, some make him smile, others bring a deep sorrow to his eyes. He spent a long time just flipping through the photos, reminiscing about the past. 

He fell asleep cradling the box on the floor. 

————— 

The next setting was one that Tony recognized well. It was the Avengers wing of the quarantine. The place he had spent most of his day. 

Tony was just rolling his eyes at Steve’s vague answer to his question when Bucky walked up to the glass.

Steve tilted back in his chair as Bucky started tapping. JARVIS put up subtitles.

“I hate to break up the happy family, but are you ready to go get some more masks?” 

“The happy family?”

“You and Tony definitely look like you’re having lunch with your kid.”

Steve’s face split into a smile.

“Wait, does he know Morose code?”

“I don’t think so.” 

“So?”

“I’ll be out in a second.” Steve reached out his arm and pressed his fist against the glass. Bucky reciprocated.

Steve left the room and walked out to Bucky. “Let’s go, I’m trying to get back at a decent hour.”

“It’s would be gross how in love you are with that man if you weren’t so happy. Are you gonna -“

Steve rose an eyebrow.

“You know, pop the question? It’s been a while.”

“I don’t know if he wants that.” 

“I’m pretty sure he loves you back punk.”

“I know that. I just don’t know if marriage is something he sees himself doing. He’s never talked about it.”

“Ah, you’re worried he’ll say no because you’re trash at romantic gestures.”

“I am not.”

“You’d probably propose when he was in sweatpants and hungover in his bed.”

“I have more tact than that.” 

“Are you sure? I’ve heard stuff about you and Agent Carter and they were not-“

“She tried to shoot me so I don’t think-“

Steve was cut off by Bucky bursting into laughter. He glanced at Tony, who was looking at Peter, and grinned. “Tony’s not Peggy. Even if we don’t get married, I don’t think they’ll ever be anyone else.” 

—————

Tony stared at the screen, frozen. His mind was spinning so quickly that he couldn’t form a coherent thought. Steve was obviously not cheating on him. What he’d assumed had been playing in the sun while he was trapped inside turned out to be a nightmare of hard work and sickness. His heart felt full to bursting as he thought about what Steve and Bucky said about their relationship. Marriage. A family. That’s what Steve wanted - with him. 

He kicked the comforter off and went to find which room Steve had wandered too. When he wasn’t in “his” room, Tony worried that he had actually left the tower, in the beginning of their relationship, Steve felt uncomfortable staying in “Tony’s House” after an argument, he didn’t do it anymore now, but the thought was still in Tony’s head. JARVIS directed him to a guest room, where he expected Steve to be fast asleep. 

That was not the case. Steve was in his pajamas, and his hair looked rustled with sleep, but he was sitting at a desk typing up an email on his laptop. As soon as Tony was through the doorframe. He spun around. 

“I’m sorry.”

Tony was speechless. He had not expected Steve to apologize. 

“II didn’t mean to make you feel neglected or alone. I’m sure being stuck in the tower has not been any fun these last couple of weeks, and I can only imagine how much stress you're under with developing new technologies to fix this. I was to fixated on making sure you were safe and protected that I left you, and I shouldn’t have done that.” Steve made an aborted movement to hug Tony, but stepped back and reached his hand to his hair instead. “I took work off tomorrow, and from now on, I promise twelve hour shifts or less, no more overnighters.”

Tony was still trying to wrap his mind around the situation as Steve looked down at him with a hopeful expression. Without hesitation, Tony fell into Steve’s arms.

“Are you sure this is okay? I thought you were worried about-“

Tony cut him off. “I’m sorry too. I was being petty and jealous by sending you away for only trying to help people. I was just insecure and stupid. And Steve?”

His boyfriend nodded.

“You can tell me about anything. I’m not going to feel isolated if you talk about the past or bring up people from your earlier life. I want to share your pain. It’s not just your burden to bare. Don’t let me catch you through one of JARVIS’s impromptu movie nights again.”

Steve chuckled. “JARVIS got you too? I woke up with a bit of a scare and he showed me some of the videos of you home alone. You really share a lot with those robots.”

Tony blushed, and just pushed his face against Steve’s chest. 

Maybe communication wasn’t their strong suit, but JARVIS had them covered.


	10. Divorce (Stony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More insecure Tony.

Steve hummed happily as he brought down a few sandwiches to the lab. Because of Tony’s recent work binge and their inverted schedules, along with Steve’s meetings, he hadn’t seen his husband in forever.

He didn’t expect much, Tony had been in full work mode for a week. JARVIS has informed him that Tony was close to finishing up though, so he started daydreaming about dates to the new botanical garden or that hiking spot up north.

He typed in his code and pushed the door open. He took a moment to admire all the suits and gear, he was a bit prideful of all the incredible things Tony could make, before speaking up.

“Tony? I brought you some lunch.”

“Yes.” He didn’t even glance up from the computer screen that was rapidly running code.

“Are you almost done?”

“That’s great.”

Steve fondly rolled his eyes at the generic response.

“Do you want to go camping next weekend?”

“Sounds fun.”

“Thor wants to paint the tower neon yellow to honor the sun.”

“Whatever.”

“Peter’s going to help by sticking himself to the side of the ninetieth floor by one foot.”

“Peter’s a good kid.”

“The coffee machine is broken.”

“Order what you need.”

“I want a divorce because Natasha and Clint invited me into a polyamorous relationship with them.”

“Go for it.”

Contrary to popular belief, Steve wasn’t stubborn enough to wait around for a lost cause. He grabbed a sticky note. “Come see me when you get a chance - S”

Strangely, the sticky notes were smaller than normal. Steve debated finishing his name or putting a little signature doodle. He decided on his whole name knowing Tony would end up being Peter to the lab and saying he thought the ‘S’ stood for spiderman.

"...sun...coffee...divorce..." Tony mumbled to himself, trying to recall what Steve had said. "Divorce?"

Tony spun around in his seat, but Steve was already gone. He frantically stood up and grabbed the sticky note that was placed in plain view.

"'See me'? Steve?" Tony's heart started beating faster at the note. It was missing any cute drawings or messages like usual.

His stomach hurt. What had he done to push Steve away when things were going so well? "JARVIS, where is Steve?"

"Mr. Wilson found Mr. Rogers as he was leaving the lab and convinced him to look at apartments. He is most likely within two miles of the tower. Would you like me to -"

Tony's heart clenched. Steve was looking at apartments already? How long had he felt this way? How many times had Tony brushed off a conversation that could have been about this? "No, no security cameras and don't contact him. What time is it?"

"It is 1pm on Thursday, J-"

"Thursday" Tony interrupted the AI. He had been in his lab for days. No wonder Steve wanted to leave him. He knew Steve had been making him food and bringing him blankets and coming in and out of the lab, but he couldn't remember having a conversation or even looking at him very much.

"Sir, you are sleep-deprived and I think-"

"No. I am not going back to bed." His response was filled with malice. How dare anyone suggest sleeping when the best thing he'd ever had in his life was slipping through his fingers and it was all his fault and he could've done better.

Was it too late to promise to do better? This time he would definitely mean it. He would be a better person - not just for a month, but forever. He would make Steve food and always go to bed with him. He would be more thoughtful.

Tony's heart broke at the thought of Steve being so unhappy for so long. JARVIS was still trying to show him something, but Tony secluded himself in his room, tears welling in his eyes.

His mind was in chaos, his hands were trembling, and his vision was blurry. No matter how much he was trying, he couldn’t think up a plan to convince Steve he was going to be a different man.

All the little things added up when he was dating Pepper, and breaking apart was inevitable. She had asked him to be better so many times, and he'd failed every time. Steve had never asked, but of course he still failed. He had abandoned his lover for close to a week. If that wasn’t a breaking point, what was?

Tony ended up too mentally and physically exhausted to stay awake for more than twenty minutes. Steve smiled softly when he came into the room and saw his lover asleep on the bed.

The blonde gently undressed Tony and slid him into some comfortable pajamas. He wiped him down with a warm cloth to get rid of some of the irritating motor grease. He slowly moved the tablet to a safer location and slid into bed to spoon Tony. He really hoped that his husband’s red eyes were due to exhaustion and a computer screen rather than another safety mishap that resulted in using the eye bath.

Steve nuzzled his face behind Tony’s neck, relishing in the way he pushed back to be closer to Steve. He peacefully fell asleep, excited to see Tony’s newest invention in the morning.

—————

When Tony woke up, he was warm and comfortable. These were definitely not the clothes he fell asleep in. He blinked his eyes and noticed the arm around his waist. He turned around and was face to face with his husband. His husband who was snoring softly, completely relaxed on the bed. Tony lifted his head on his hand, taking a moment to enjoy the sight.

Then he remembered what happened last night and the grin was wiped right off his face. This time Tony was mad. He had had his little pity party and that was fine, but how dare Steve act like nothing was wrong. Communication was a two way street - or so he’d heard - and Steve was clearly part of the problem if he was going to suggest divorce and still take good care of Tony at the same time.

He was furious. He might have been being a little childish when he lightly shoved Steve’s shoulder but he deserved it. Steve quickly woke up, eyes scanning the room with an alertness only a super soldier could obtain after just waking up. His eyes fell on Tony, a bit of concern visible.

“Sweetheart?”

Tony knew that voice. That was the ‘are you having a nightmare’ or ‘we’ll get through this panic attack’ voice, and didn’t that just make things worse?

“I’m fine.” Tony glared.

Steve assessed the situation and cautiously opened his mouth as he sat up. “Did something go wrong in the lab?”

“No, everything is perfect.” Tony’s voice sounded sarcastic.

Steve tried a few more questions, but each was met with an equally caustic answer. Tony even shrugged away when Steve tried to touch his shoulder.

Steve sighed in resigned disappointment and started getting dressed. “I’ll be out. You can have your space.” His expression letting through some of the sadness he was feeling.

Suddenly, the anger was completely gone. Tony felt horrible. This is why Steve was leaving him. Who treats someone they love like that? Tony began to cry: he was scared, and ashamed all at once.

It took him a moment to notice Steve kneeling on the edge of the bed. “Sweetheart, I really need to know what’s wrong. Are you hurt? Did something happen while I was with Sam?”

Sam. The one who was helping Steve look for an apartment because he couldn’t stand to live with Tony in an ugly tower anymore. Tony’s sobbing only got harder.

Steve shuffled a bit closer and instinctively stretched out an arm to comfort his lover, but started to pull it back when he remembered that Tony seemed to want space.

Tony wasn’t having it. He crawled into Steve’s lap and cried into his shoulder, hands clinging to the fabric across his chest. Steve rubbed circles on Tony’s back, but was dividing his mental capacity between comfort and determining what was wrong.

JARVIS helped by informing him that Tony was physically unharmed.

“It’s okay. Let it out.” Steve murmured into Tony’s ear. “I love you and I’ll help you get through this - whatever it is.”

“Bullshit.”

“What?” Steve was more confused than ever. The first coherent thing he says and it’s that.

“Don’t pretend to love me.”

Steve’s chest clenched. They had been through this before. Tony had insecurities full to bursting and they often manifested themselves in relationship sabotage or emotional spirals.

“I love you more than anything in the world Tony. You’re an amazing man who is incredibly smart and thoughtful and fun to be around. I thank God everyday that I was able to find you.” Steve rubbed circles with his thumb over Tony’s ring as he spoke.

“Why are you lying?”

“Honey, I’m not.”

“If you love me then why are we getting a divorce?”

Steve stiffened “A divorce? We’re getting a divorce?”

“That’s what you said last night.” Tony sounded put-out more than anything at this point. “And you left a note for us to talk about it. And you're trying to move into a new apartment.”

Steve wracked his brain, but he had no idea what Tony was talking about. “Do you think you were just dreaming?”

“No.” Tony pushed away from Steve. “You definitely said so. Are you trying to avoid a fight right now because-“

“JARVIS?”

The TV screen lit up and an image of Tony’s workshop was displayed.

“...broken.”

“Order what you need.”

“I want a divorce because Natasha and Clint invited me into a polyamorous relationship with them.”

“Go for it.”

Tony’s eyes were wide and his mouth was gaped. Steve was trying to bite back a giggle - this is what Tony was upset about?

“Tony, I’m not actually-“

“-I know you wouldn’t. I just...” A tinge of red creeped up the genius’s face.

Steve leaned down to give his lover a little reassuring peck. “I would never give you up that easily. And Sam is the one looking for a new place.”

“Even though I’m bad at relationships and I can’t take care of myself and I don’t make time for-“

“I love you just the way you are. I love that you’re passionate about your work.” Steve started directly into Tony’s eyes to convey how serious he was. “You are the perfect person for me.”

After giving Tony a few more gently kisses, he spoke again. “Are you done with your project? Do you want to go on a date? I think that some fresh air might be in order.”

Tony’s responding smile almost split his face in two.


	11. Choctaw County Affair (Stuckony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JessieLaxton requested:
> 
> "Hi so i was really really tired when I wrote/thought of this request so let me tell you mine idea so basically....Steve and bucky are married and run a mafia together and income tony there butler who they wanna date and marry...same goes with tony but the problem is tony hasn’t/hasn’t wanted to date anyone sense his past relationship with his ex’s boyfriend Stephen strange...him and Stephen were accused of murdering a girl who black mail them ...and well tony and Stephen broke up and they went there sperat ways .... so the night of a mafia ball Steve and bucky ask tony to be there date well ( oh and the other avengers run mafias of there own) well the band singer cancele and that leaves the band with out a singer well tony decided to sing and he sings “choctaw county affair “ by Carrie Underwood the rest is up to you"

Bucky leaned back on the edge of the enormous bed, resting his weight on his hands. His eyes raked over Steve’s nearly-nude body. A satisfied smirk found its way to his face. 

Steve quickly noticed his husband’s stare and glanced down at the hickies littered across his chest with an eyebrow raised. 

“Keep staring and we might never make it out of this room.”

“You need to work on your threats doll.” Bucky chuckled as he got up and pulled Steve into a passionate kiss.

They were only stopped by a loud knock on the door. 

“Busy.” Bucky called out, voice deep and gravelly. 

The door opened anyway and Tony walked in, carrying a tray with a variety of breakfast foods. “It’s 11am, and you have a visitor at 12:30.” 

Despite the interruption, the men couldn’t find it in themselves to be mad. Steve just managed to conceal a grin before he spun around to pull his suit from the dry-cleaing bag in the closet. Bucky’s eyes twinkled with amusement as he watched Tony sneak glances at Steve while he set plates on the table before him. 

Steve and Bucky had discussed Tony before. Less than a year ago, Steve had been exiting the harmless looking diner that served as cover for Parker’s east side operation when his attention was drawn to a man on the sidewalk. He was leaning against the wall under the red and blue awnings outside the diner. He was clad in expensive clothing, but he looked raggedy and soaked to the bone. Something about him made Steve hesitate to slip into his card. Against logic, Steve motioned to the man and invited him into the car. 

Tony, deciding that he didn’t have any other options and nothing else to lose, stepped into the luxury vehicle. He nervously wondered if he would even make it out of the car alive - if he even cared. He’d lost everything running from his hometown and he was struggling in the new city. 

\----------

In high school, he had fallen for Stephan Strange. The man’s lineage and drive immediately made it clear that he was destined for success, and he was extremely popular. Tony spent the first semester freshman year just subtly stalking the upperclassman when he could. Eventually, one day after gym, Stephen had pulled him aside to the dark space between the classrooms and kissed the life out of him. 

They were friends to the public, but lovers in secret. It would have been a picturesque high school sweetheart romance - holding hands at the movie theater, picnics under the stars, long country drives to nowhere, hours of deep conversation - except for one thing: both Stephan’s and Tony’s parents were very conservative. Tony was constantly harassed by his father to get a girlfriend before people started to get “the wrong idea” about him and his friend. In fact, the whole town was basically the embodiment of traditional ideals. 

All the sneaking around started to get to Stephan. He’d never lay a harmful finger on Tony, but things started to get less romantic, less fun as anger and resentment began to consume him. He was angry at his town, angry at his parents, angry at God, and angry at himself. He fantasized revenge promising to “free Tony from this prison."

The last straw was when Suzy from down the block caught them making out under the bleachers. It just so happened that she was in the yearbook and had her camera on her: she was doing a piece on the renovated gym and happened to drop her permission pass between the metal seats. The flash caught both of the teenaged boys by surprise and they jumped apart, clothes and hair in disarray. She shot another one before scuttling off with a devious expression. 

She managed to make prints of them, probably when no one else was in the yearbook room. She sent both Tony and Stephen copies, threatening them for money at first then other items and favors. Her hold on them was suffocating. Tony was terrified that his secret would be leaked and Stephan grew more and more bitter. 

The month after graduation, they found Suzy facedown in the lake. The sheriff pulled the corpse from the river, and because of mismanagement in documentation and chain of custody, they were unable to use any DNA evidence or other clues to try and claim murder. The photos, of course, were found in a shoebox in her room, and Tony and Stephen were made to testify. Something about Stephan’s testimony was off-putting and disingenuous, but Tony didn’t want to know so he kept to himself. 

The judge ruled that there was no foul play. 

Accused murders and town “faggots”, Tony and Stephen became pariahs in their own homes. Even between each other, things were tense. Stephen was still present in his life, but in a detached sort of way. He was different from before. Tony couldn’t fault him for being traumatized, but there was a wall between them. They would never have their carefree innocence again. Tony never learned if Stephen had actually done it. They parted ways a month after the trials ended. 

Tony went from town to town, mustering up enough money for shelter and some warm food each time. He had been able to take a fair amount of money from his parents before he left, but he knew it wouldn’t last forever. 

At the end of his wits, he found himself by the front door of The Golden Biscuit. He’d already been rejected three times today and this was his last shot at the end of a long day. They didn’t even have a “We’re Hiring”sign out front, but you could never be too thorough, right?

The hostess informed him that there weren’t any open positions, and he was about to leave, when he heard his name.

“Tony Stark?”

He recognized that voice. “Eddy Fraser?”

“I did not expect to see you here. What’s happening man? Thought you were gonna take over the business for your old man back home?”

Tony shrugged and Eddy seemed to know not to dive deeper. “Do you work here?”

Eddy frowned and shook his head. “Nah, are you looking for work?”

Once Tony explained his predicament, leaving out anything that wasn’t important, Eddy got an idea and snuck him ‘round the back and down an outside covered stairwell to a basement. Admittedly, Tony’s heart was beating faster at this suspicious behavior, but he let it happen. He was shocked by the lush interior decoration in the large underground room. 

He quickly learned that Eddy, or “E” as the other men called him, was mixed up in a gang run by Peter Parker. He’d never imagined himself working for a gang, but he figured that it wouldn’t be any worse than the situation he was currently in i.e. homeless. A few of the men seemed to warm up to him as Eddy talked him up, but ultimately, one of them who had lived in the neighboring town recognized him, and ended any potential openings. Parker was new on the scene, just getting himself established. He was still trying to find his place with larger families like the Barnes or the Romanovs. He couldn’t have the police sniffing around just yet, and if Suzy’s friends decided to take the vigilante justice route, he didn’t want to get in the middle. 

It was clear in his eyes that this was non-negotiable, and after substantial threats about what would happen if he breathed a word of this to anyone, Tony vacated the premises. He had just crossed the street when it started pouring rain so he turned around and rested under the awning, figuring they could at least allow him that. 

The next thing he knew, a beautiful stranger was waving him into a nice car.

\----------

The tension built as they sat side-by-side in the back of the vehicle. Steve was relaxed, carefully assessing the situation in the subtle way only he could pull off. He extended his handkerchief to Tony, who realized that he had goosebumps. 

“What were you doing out there on the side of the road?” Steve’s eyes narrowed and Tony momentarily admired their brilliant color before a wave of fear overwhelmed him. 

Did Parker think he was going to squeal? Had releasing him alive just been a formality in front of Eddy? 

Tony imagined that a hitman would have a better game plan than waving someone into a car and hoping they get in, but apparently it had worked. “I was just looking for work. Didn’t find anything at the diner.”

Steve got silent, once again sizing up Tony. “You look like you could eat.”

Tony wanted to ask him why they would stop for dinner, when he had clearly just been in a diner. He wanted to know why this man would feed him at all. But something about the aura made him keep his mouth shut for once in his life. 

They were in a restaurant, but it was completely empty save for a singular waiter who came out occasionally. He didn’t ask for an order, just brought out several entrees with prepared meats and pasta dishes. Tony felt like he was at one of his father’s dinner parties, without even noticing, he had reverted to his conditioning to sit up straight and eat with the utmost care. Jarvis, his tutor back home, had been strict about manners and posture throughout his adolescence. 

Steve almost looked like he was testing him. His eyes widened infinitesimally when Tony grabbed all the right silverware and properly folded his napkin over his lap. When the waiter came back, he had a slip of paper for Steve, who looked at it, then back at Tony with one eyebrow raised. 

“Tony Stark?”

Embarrassingly, Tony almost yelped at his full name. How had he done that?

“Murder?” Steve’s tone was flat and nearly disinterested. 

The door opened and there were steps in the hallway. A muscular man with long slicked back dark hair came in, puffing on a cigar. 

His stare was much more menacing than the blonde’s. He held Tony’s eyes for what seemed like hours. Then he moved to Steve. They seemed to hold an entire conversation without saying a word. 

Then the brunet sat down next to the blonde, crossed his legs, and served himself some food. He also planted a passionate kiss right on the blonde’s lips - causing Tony’s mind to short circuit. 

“I think we should let Tony here stay the night.” Steve gestured at Tony with his fork. “He ain’t got no lodgings at the moment.”

Bucky carefully considered as he chewed before nodding. “Joe.”

The waiter scurried out.

“A room for our guest.”

The waiter nodded curtly and left as fast as he came. 

“Oh, I can’t-“

Tony hesitantly searched the room for something to say without offending them or getting shot. He didn’t want to whore himself out and play this game with these dangerous men.

The brunet snorted. “We’d love to have a pretty little thing like yourself join our bed, but that ain’t the offer on the table right now. It’s just a bed for the night - you said you didn’t have anywhere else to be? We don’t eat alone here.”

Tony didn’t know what to say. The waiter came back and lead him to his room. When he took one last glance, the brunet was straddling the blonde’s lap, sucking on his neck. The blonde noticed Tony and winked. What was he supposed to do with that?

“So, what’s the deal?” Bucky asked, raising his face from Steve’s shoulder. 

Steve smiled and shrugged. “Saw him outside Parker’s and felt like I should look into him. He’s alone and broke. Ostracized from his home - bats for the other team. Might have whacked a woman there. He’s well-bred. Family was real high society.”

Bucky listened thoughtfully. “Thinking we found a replacement?”

“Might’ve. Doesn’t hurt that he ain’t bad to look at either.”

“Good thing my fella has sharp judgement. Didn’t know what I was getting myself into when I walked in here.”

“I have the best judgement: I chose you.”

Bucky just hummed in contentment, moving off of Steve so they could head up to the penthouse where they lived. 

—————

Tony would’ve liked to say that he slept lightly, on high alert for any unusual noise, but he hadn’t slept in a bed in days. Hadn’t slept in a bed that wasn’t motel quality for months. So he knocked out and slept in. When he awoke, a note had been slid under the door. It was directions to another room in the hotel and ‘breakfast’. He followed his stomach, and ended up in a much smaller, more private dining room near the top floor. The men from the other night were sitting on either side, one reading the newspaper and the other staring out the window. 

At his entrance, they both looked up. 

“Morning Tony. Help yourself to the spread.” The brunet nodded toward the table covered in eggs, breads, potatoes, and fruits. He also stood up and extended a hand. “Name is James Barnes.”

Tony shook the man’s hand and glanced expectantly at Steve. Bucky made a face at that. 

“Oh, I’m Steve Rogers.” Steve reached across the table. “Forgot to do that earlier.”

Tony cautiously filled his plate before speaking up. “You two are in hotel administration?”

“The garbage business. We’re looking to fill a position and we think you might be our guy.” Bucky stared seriously at Tony, “We need someone who’ll be around. For cleaning and errands and transfers.”

Tony tried to wrap his mind around the request. The garbage business? Then it hit him - Barnes. This was one of the gangs Peter had mentioned. He was talking to the boss. And they wanted him to…be their butler?

“We’d need someone discrete and loyal.” Steve’s gaze seemed even more piercing today. “We have a code of silence. Last man leaked through the mouth and we don’t take kindly too rats.”

Tony swallowed thickly. 

“You won’t be doing the messy work yourself. We got people for spring cleaning already.” Bucky tapped his finger on the table. “Seeing as you’re in lam and ain’t got nobody in this world - what’d’a say to staying here? That room could be your permanent room plus food and an allowance.”

“And no funny business.” Steve chuckled.

“Unless you want to sweetheart.”

Tony was speechless. Within the hour, he was an official member of the Barnes family

—————

It had been a while since Tony joined the family, but he was still surprised every day. Some days, he would wake up and see the luxurious room he lived in and wonder how mobsters could be so generous. It wasn’t like he didn’t see the immoral business on the side, but it was more detached then the people he worked with every day. 

He’d heard about Barnes' and Rogers’ past. Everyone in the family seemed to know, and gossip among the hotel front ran rampant. They had known each other since before they were ten, and they’d been a couple for nearly a decade. When they were younger, Steve was frail and sickly, so Barnes had been initiated into mob life to pay off any bills for the both of them. The Schmidt family, the gang he had joined, was abusive and excessively violent. Their boss often started turf wars that he refused to fight in and didn’t show any generosity toward those beneath him. Barnes had lost his arm when it was sliced by an enemy and he contracted a severe infection. He wound up in enough debt that he was essentially an indentured servant for several years. During that time, his charisma and charm gained him a lot of friends, and once he was free and separated, half of the decent men followed him. The other half followed Romanov. Schmidt’s family crumbled. Both Barnes and Romanov were more generous and kind than their bosses had been, but they both had the capability to be extremely terrifying when necessary. 

Rogers hit a late growth spurt and Barnes eventually saved up enough for good doctors to treat his illnesses. He began working in the Barnes family as a capo until both men were able to accept the fact that they were in love with each other - a much easier realization to come to when it wasn’t under threat of death or gang rape. Some of the original family members still called Rogers Captain - a nickname he didn’t seem to mind. 

With Rogers’ knack for strategy, and Barnes’ knowledge of the trade, as well as his murderous persona and impenetrable patience, the Barnes family quickly grew into a much larger syndicate. They had a huge income. Tony had a vague idea of what went on, he saw Rogers give orders for spring cleaning and members paying tribute to Barnes, but he tried not to think too hard about it.

What surprised him the most, and what the other members always tried to pull gossip out of him for, was Rogers and Barnes when they were (almost) completely alone. They were affectionate and kind. On more than one occasion, Tony had seen Rogers carefully tending to little scrapes on his husband’s arm. Anytime their schedule was clear, Barnes would insist on cooking breakfast himself and bringing it to Rogers in bed where they would lay for hours. There were so many soft words and gentle caresses and affectionate gestures. It was almost as if the men were completely different people. There was professional Rogers , glowering with the butt of his pistol just peaking out past the material of the gray suit as he proceeding to shakedown CEOs. Then there was private Rogers, a man who liked to absentmindedly run his fingers through Barnes’ hair and press kisses to his cheeks whenever he came in the room. Barnes seemed like the type of man who could murder in cold blood at a wrong glance, but he also had a surplus of kittens that he’d rescued while returning from his nighttime activities. 

And Tony was failing not to fall in love with them. He wondered what it would’ve been like had he said he wanted to have sex with them on that first night. He dreamed about what it would be like to be between them as they cuddled on the bed.

He couldn’t. He didn’t want to open his heart up again. Logically, these men were bad people. They could break his heart and frame him for another murder. 

But it was impossible to ignore the way his heart beat faster when Rogers handed him personally selected ‘bonus gifts’ nearly twice a month. Or how his mouth went dry at Barnes’ suggestive flirting and winks. He couldn’t help himself from sneaking glances at the Greek Gods. He had to vividly picture his wart-covered, obese, third-grade gym teacher on the back of his eyelids to prevent embarrassing himself when he entered while they were undressed or passionately making out, or dry-humping. 

But he stuck to his guns. He would not fall in love.

—————

It finally happened. Tony sat up on the bed and began to panic. He looked back and forth between the mob bosses snoring softly on either side of him. He was so screwed. 

They had been planning a “charity” dinner for a local orphanage for a while, and now that it was a week away, both men had been working around the clock. The “charity” dinner at the hotel was just a front for a mob mixer in the lavish secret basement. 

Because Barnes and Rogers were pulling late nights, so was Tony. Tony fixed them coffee, brought them food, ran their paperwork to the requested location and retrieved necessary paperwork. He sat down with them and acted as a sounding board for their ideas. 

And it did not help his predicament. His jaw nearly dropped when he learned that the charity money would actually be donated to the orphanage, and when he saw the detail and care they had put into their front. Barnes’ flirting was growing more frequent and there was no escape. And Rogers kept giving him genuine compliments and bashful glances. He was almost at the end of his self-control.

And one late night, exactly five days before the event, Tony lost control. He was battling a bought of insomnia and happened to see a new file had been placed in the inbox. As he glanced over it, he quickly grew excited - this was the missing information they’d been looking for. With this, the event was as good as completely organized. 

Without thinking, he rushed upstairs and into the penthouse. He was met with the sight of Barnes gently fucking into Rogers, who was seated on his lap facing him. Rogers was openly moaning and Barnes was loudly whispering a stream of filthy words into his husband’s ear. Tony knew he should walk away, pretend like he never saw anything, but he was transfixed to the spot. They both came together and it was one of the most beautiful things Tony had ever seen. 

Then Barnes saw him from over Steve’s shoulder and he grinned. “Do you like what you see?”

Steve turned his head around, eyes still filled with lust and post-orgasm haze. When he saw Tony, his face brightened up. 

“I- I just-“Tony waved the paper.

“Leave that on the desk.”

“Join us in bed.” Steve beckoned him. 

And Tony was weak.

—————

He vividly remembered the night. When they’d learned that he was a virgin, no place for him and Strange to do the deed without fear, they’d been so gentle. Steve had repeatedly asked him if what they were doing was okay while James asked if it felt good. He had never felt so amazing in his life.

And they were both thorough in cleaning him off afterwards. And cuddling against him in bed.

He could still taste the smoke on James’ breath and feel Steve’s calloused hands digging into his hips. Those memories could fill his fantasies for years.

But then sadness washes over him like cold water. He was vulnerable again and he couldn’t help it. And he knew he’d be crushed again. They had propositioned him within the first day of meeting him - the attraction was clearly only physical. They were an adventurous, sexually active, very sexually active if all the sheets Tony had to clean were any indication, couple who wanted to bring someone new in the bedroom for some extra spice. 

They wouldn’t feel the same way about him, and he would never be able to compete with the bond they had, nor would he even want to: they were perfect for each other. By the time they opened their eyes, he was serving breakfast. They tried to talk about it, but he shut them down, staunchly performing his duties. 

He informed them that he would like to stay their butler and they agreed that he would never be forced from his post if he didn’t want to. Before they would continue any further, they bolted.

“Did we do something wrong?” Bucky looked crestfallen as he shifted the eggs around his plate. “Think he regrets it?”

Steve was frowning, but he shook his head. “I think he’s working through something. Let’s give him a little space. We could think of some other way to show him how much he means to us.” 

Along with their organization sessions, Steve and Bucky now planned how they would get Tony Stark to go on a date with them. 

—————

And so the morning of the mixer, Bucky was getting cocky. He saw the way Tony tried not to ogle the sex marks across Steve’s perfect chest. He knew he could eventually add another best guy to his life, and nothing would make him happier. 

After rushing around all morning, the charity ball and the mafia mixer were both going full swing. All of the major players had come out: the Banner, Wilson, Romanov, Parker, and Odinson families were all scattered throughout the room, sipping their drinks and socializing among themselves.

The bosses were all in a circle near the middle. Natasha tipped her glass toward Steve. “This turned out wonderful.” She surveyed the room. “It was a brilliant idea to get them all together to ease some of the tension. I was hoping to slip a business proposition in myself tonight.”

Steve grinned. “For you, my ear is always open.”

Bucky scowled. Him and Natasha didn’t hate each other per say, but there was some friendly fire incidents that meant they were still uneasy around each other. Steve did not have that problem - he got along with everyone well, especially Sam and Natasha. Natasha hinted that her right hand men - Clint Barton, Nick Fury, and Phil Coulson - were drawing up plans to merge one or two or more mobs together. Not totally merged, but more like an alliance in times of need. Steve seemed interested. They were calling it ‘Initiative A’. They were chatting for about an hour before Bucky tugged Steve's shoulder. Steve graciously excused himself, and they snuck off to execute their plan. 

They managed to catch Tony on the balcony, where they know he had been ordered to collect the catering trays - which didn’t exist. Steve and Bucky had covered the area with red roses and candles. They arrived just in time to see him gasp. 

Bucky flashed a genuine smile. “Tony, we love you. We love the way you’ve been so incredibly kind to us.”

“And the fact that you’re so amazingly intelligent.”

“And your resilience.”

“And you're gorgeous smile and the lovely way you laugh.”

“And everything else about you.”

“Would you do us the honor of going on a date with Buck and I?”

Tony gaped. He couldn’t believe that this was real. He knew he was taking too long to respond, and he saw the way the mens’ faces started to drop, but it was just so unreal that two of the most beautiful men on earth in a perfect relationship would want damaged Tony Stark. He knew he had to say no. This wasn’t realistic. It would only end in pain.” But before he could express that thought, a member of the Barnes family rushed up in a panic. 

“The lead singer has food poisoning.”

“From our food?”

“No, he got fast food before he came. He said that’s probably it, but we need someone to replace him right now.”

“I don’t know anyone who could -“ Bucky tilted his head in thought when the member seemed to realize something.

“You!” He pointed directly at Tony. “I’ve heard you sing in the shower. You’re amazing.”

Tony sputtered and tried to weasel his way out, but he was struck with a two pronged attack of pouty faces and puppy dog eyes.

Next thing he knew, he was on stage. The band started to play. Unexpectedly, the music seemed very country. 

Tony started to sing. 

"Ooh  
Ooh  
Well, life's been kind of trippy down here in Mississippi…”

The audience responded well and he started to smile. He did love to sing before an audience. But as the words came to him, he realized his brain had decided what the song would be about before he even consciously recognized it. 

"But the truth remains a mystery and now it's ancient history  
It's a Choctaw County affair”

He was suddenly very aware of his memories with Stephen. The interactions with Suzy. The shame from his town. The rejection from his family. 

"Well, I do not deny I wished Cassie would die  
When she threatened us with blackmail  
She said she had some information that would wreck my reputation  
And land Bobby back in jail  
Now it's best to remember Bobby Shaver's got a temper  
Like a buck-shot grizzly bear”

He realized that Steve and James had given him everything he’d lost. Within the family, he’d found a new community, new friends, and new love. He deserved to be able to reach for happiness. Tony decided that he would put himself all in. He could have it if he had the balls to reach out and take it.

When he got off the stage, everyone was cheering. The band agency, knowing their clients, had sent their backup singer already. Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, but he was feeling bold. When he climbed down the stage stairs and saw Steve and Bucky beaming at him, he couldn’t resist. He kept into Bucky’s arms and kissed Steve in a completely possessive manner. Then Bucky. 

“Yes, I’ll go on a date with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To be honest, I don’t really like that Carrie Underwood song so it took me a hot minute to come up with the motivation to finish this. 
> 
> And with quarantine and midterms, I’ve been a bit overwhelmed with life. But thank you guys for all the nice comments! It really makes my day whenever I see them!!


	12. Just a Note

JessieLaxton requested: 

So basically a witches kingdom tall and proud was brought down by a demon king and the queen of the fallen kingdom maria put a spell on it before she dies and puts a spell on her most trusted knights to sleep so 500 years later her great great great great great great great great great great god son tony who is the last of the blood line finds the song or spell and wakes her knights who tell him about how he is the last ruler of the kingdom and how he is supposed to take down the demon king. <https://youtu.be/n8EE8gdUdP8>

*I messed this one up - I made it Stony not Stuckony. Didn’t see the middle message until after. 

  
Armor clanged as he rushed around the spiral stairs to the throne room, leading an army of men.

The attacks were decimating the grounds and the casualty number was rising by the second. Both army and townsfolk were being mowed down.

The fighting had been going on for days. The castle was crumbling. They had been blindsided by whatever force had tried to usurp the current royal family.

Once the knights reached the room, they were shocked to see the Queen’s trusted advisor morph into a demon, laughing maniacally.

“Where’s your power now?” His deep, distorted voice mockingly called out. “I know every secret pathway in this castle, every military strategy. I know it all. You will not win. Give in now and I will save you your dignity as I drain your life.”

The Queen stood, tall and defiant as ever. “Never. I shall never bow down to the orchestrators of evil and death.”

The flames on the demon king’s shoulders leapt at the defiance. One knight shot an arrow at him but it crumpled to ash before piercing anything. The demon spun around and laughed.

“Pathetic. You will never defeat me.” He waved his hand causing the chandelier to crash, crushing two men. Two swords flew midair killing two more. “Yield to my power.”

He turned his attention back to the Queen, malice in his eyes. He slowly began to choke her with his hold.

The knights tried to rush forward, but their legs were immobilized. They swore and taunted the demon king - trying to draw his attention away. Only one noticed the Queen’s lips moving.

The knights all fell unconscious.

“Where’d your army go, taking a nap?” The demon snorted, genuinely unaware of why they were no longer engaged.

The Queen, despite her pain, just smiled regally. In her final moments, she drew upon all of her strength, banishing the demon and his army to weakened forms in the underworld.

The loss of their Queen and her protectors was grieved for months as the citizens banded together to rebuild the kingdom.   
—————

Five centuries later, a descendant of that Queen was impatiently tapping his finger on the arm rest of his chair. “Are you quite finished?”

The man across the table looked up in shock. He seemed to shrink at the angry glare of the prince. 

“It’s not my fault they burnt all their crops. If they had any sense, they would’ve just used the smoke to drive the insects out. Then they’d still have food. It is not my fault they are hungry.”

The man seemed as though he was about to say something for a moment, but then thought better of it and shut his mouth. “Yes My Prince.” He bowed his head and left.

The prince smirked and began to sneak away from the room to avoid any more duties when his butler stepped in front of his path. The prince immediately frowned.

“If you’ll excuse me Jarvis, I was just about to...”

“There are many more preparations in order for next month’s celebration, and, lest I remind you again, your coronation.” Jarvis’ stern expression didn’t falter as he placed a huge stack of papers on the prince’s table.

“What is the point of celebrating a fable? Every year, we celebrate the defeat of the demon king as if it were a historical event. Don’t you think at least someone in this castle would’ve actually seen an example of magic - demons, fairies, whatever - if it existed?” Tony groaned. “It’s meaningless to celebrate an idealized story about a queen.”

Jarvis just left the room, closing the door behind him. The unspoken agreement that the prince would fulfill his duties hung thick in the air.

Ever since the prince’s parents had passed away at an unexpectedly young age, the council was in charge of political affairs until he came of age. While he grew, his butler Jarvis took care of him and instructed him in the ways of being a king as well as he could.

But the trauma of the loss, as well as him having more authority than Jarvis left the future king with several well-known shortcomings. He was a genius in all affairs, and the country flourished under his (currently informal) suggestions to the council. There was no doubt that his succession to the throne in the following month would bring prosperity to many. But, he had a propensity for taking many women and men for the night only, he disregarded traditional garbs and events, he belittled those around him, and he was often unempathetic toward his subjects. Ruling was a business to him.

As such, he quickly finished his paperwork and tried to find a way to sneak out of the room without alerting Jarvis or one of the servants so he wouldn’t be given more to do. He was trying to silently glide the bookshelf over to the window when he noticed the wall had a mural behind it.

“How did they-“ The prince reached out to touch the eyes of the painted woman. They seemed too three dimensional for the medium. When he made contact, he noticed they did protrude slightly. He gently pushed against one when an old piece of the wall splintered him and his thumb dripped blood across the woman’s face. He bit back an expletive at the pain, but couldn’t contain a help when a small door opened up.

The prince got excited, thinking of jewels, untold riches, and sealed away stories. He was disappointed to only find a book.

Even further, the book only had one poem at the front.

“Hark, my child, come listen close

Let me tell you of tale  
Of a people cursed, a land destroyed  
Of a darkness that prevailed  
A witch kingdom once tall and proud  
Was ruled by Crochan queens  
Rhiannon fair was last of these  
For hatred stirred beneath  
The Crochan queens were thus betrayed  
By those of iron teeth  
Three days, three nights the battled raged  
Til every heartbeat ceased  
And as she fell, Rhiannon last  
Stretched out a vengeful hand  
Heed my words and heed my curse  
Or ne'er return to this here land  
She said blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
Five hundred years the land was dry  
All witches lost and scattered  
Blackbeak, Blueblood, Yellowlegs  
Their magic dead and shattered  
With Crochans gone, hope there was none  
To bind and break the curse  
Til silver-haired and crooked hearted  
Manon learned of her birth  
Wing Leader and Blackbeak heir  
Devourer of souls  
The long lost child of Crochan blood  
With eyes of burning gold  
Both ancient queen, iron warrior  
With Thirteen at her side  
They crowned her with a ring of stars  
A people unified  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
In final days a king arose  
To bathe the world in blood  
High Queen Manon would not be cowed  
By his demonic flood  
With every clan of witches  
Met she mortals, met she fae  
And in the hills of Terrasen  
The last stand of light was made  
With magic dark and cunning  
Demons sought to breach the wall  
Should they have broken Orynth's gates  
Then all Erilea fall  
So Thirteen left High Queen to live  
And Yielded up their lives  
Blood unified, blood payment made  
Flower bloomed and dead land sighed  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together has it been undone  
These the bridge, these the light  
Here now the iron melts  
Here flowers spring from killing fields  
Here now the land is won  
See flowers spring from killing fields

See now your land is won “

As soon as the prince read the passage aloud, streams of green light emitted from his hands. Instinctively, the prince felt compelled to follow the light further into the hidden hallway. He gasped when he saw what the tunnel led to.

There were men lying everywhere. They were garbed with armor and weaponry. The men did not appear as corpses, they seemed peaceful - untouched by the hands of time and decay.

The light became blindingly bright and it entered the men’s bodies through their mouths forcing them to violently gasp for a breath of air.

The prince was speechless.

The blonde closest to him sat up first and jumped to attention. He looked around him and then at the prince. “Who are you?”

“I am Tony Stark, future king of Marvel. Who are you?”

“I am Steven Rogers, member of the Queen’s army.“

—————

Tony had learned about the prophecy, but it had been in his culture and mythology studies. There was no way he could’ve expected the stories to be true. His first instinct had been to check Steve for brain damage or lunacy, but the green light and sleeping army seemed proof enough that something ethereal was at play.

“Evil will once again rear it’s head.” That was always the part that Tony remembered. He figured it was philosophical - evil would always be present in some capacity - greed, deceit, hate. But as Steve spoke, Tony quickly realized that evil meant a tangible manifestation of the demon king himself.

One man was destined to take down the demon. Slay evil in the kingdom once and for all. Was that supposed to be him? Steven? Someone in the village?

Tony wrapped his head around the ridiculousness of it all. Magic existed? The demon king was coming back? What if they did lose? Why was the blonde man so incredibly gorgeous?

Tony became distracted quickly. He immediately started checking Steven out. He didn’t even notice when the knights actually started their meeting and discussed their strategy.

Suddenly, two stunningly blue eyes were narrowed and glaring in his direction.

“Sorry beautiful, I got lost in your eyes and missed that last part.”

The knight’s ears turned red, but his stern facial expression did not ease. “We’re splitting into groups to gather information. Anything irregular could be important to what’s about to come. You and I are covering the eastern side of the river.”

Tony grinned. He definitely didn’t mind a couple more weeks with this man. And he got to avoid his usual mundane tasks by going out? He had no problem with that at all.

—————

The “adventure” was not going as well as Tony had intended.

The carriage ride to their assignment was long and bumpy. The scenery faded from the lively pristine town he resided in, to unkempt country side sparsely populated with poorly constructed “houses”.

And Steve, as they knight had allowed Tony to call him, was refusing to make small talk with Tony. Word travelled quick, and their was no doubt that he had been filled in of Tony’s carefree ways. Tony had attempted to flirt with him several more times but the man refused to budge. It was like he had a personal challenge to use the least amount of words around Tony as he possibly could.

When it was time to exit the carriage to speak with the first town, Tony was already over it. He let Steve lead him through the muddy trail to a church that could barely be considered a building.

The priest rang the meager church bells they possessed and the town was soon present.

If Tony had been bored and disinterested before, he had now sobered into a more somber mood.

A girl, who couldn’t be more than six, stared up at him in awe with mud streaks across her face. Her clothes were shredded and the tips of her shoes had been cut for her toes to stick out. Her teeth were yellow and stained.

Nobody else fared much better. Every person was clearly starving to some degree.

Tony was frozen. He simply stared as Steve knelt down and gave a little boy a quarter of the food he had brought for his own meal, and another quarter to an elderly lady.

Tony soon followed suit and passed around food until Steve motioned that it was time for him to speak.

“People of my kingdom. I have come to you today because a threat of evil is...”

Although Tony mustered up the famous charm he was known for, the people appeared disinterested.

One small boy, unaware of the rules of society, bravely spoke up. “Momma says we can’t eat because of you. Why should we help you?”

Steve glanced at Tony, clearly conveying that he would not draw a weapon on a child, not that Tony would ask it. Tony’s mouth dried and his eloquence failed him. “Does she?”

A woman snatched the child and covered his mouth. “I apologize sir. He does not know what he speaks about. Please spare him.” She trembled in terror.

“I did not come here to punish anyone.” Tony glanced around the room at the shocked and fearful faces. “Please. Speak freely. If I am to ask for your help, it is only right that you may ask of mine.”

The room fell into silence, but eventually, one older man choose to speak. He emotionally explained the hardships that he and his family, his friends, and his community had faced. He spoke candidly about the disdain many of them harbored for royals who amassed wealth and luxury while two of his children had passed from starvation and disease.

The man kneeled in front of Tony, still expecting some form of retribution.

The crowd became shocked when Tony asked him to stand and took out a piece of paper. “Tell me your grievances and I will seek to right them once I am crowned. I am not my father. I am not the council.”

Until nightfall, Tony discussed programs to improve the lives of his subjects. He gave them his word that the issues they brought forth would be addressed. Many of them were more than willing to help him at the end, but there was still no solid information to be had.

Steve’s eyes couldn’t help but wander over to Tony’s back as he wrote against the wall. His face was scrunched in concentration - his tongue barely peaking out between his lips. He attentively listened to each person and asked for details and suggestions.

His first impression of the prince had been that of a spoiled brat, but perhaps he was wrong? 

—————

They continued like this for several days. Some people had heard whispers of demons spreading greed, disease, and famine while others dreamt of fire, but it seemed no more than the superstitious remnants of old stories. 

Tony groaned as he sat down on a log. The most recent town had been more destitute than the last, and had no inn to take shelter in. The people offered him their beds, but Steve had shut down that favor immediately. Tony himself wasn’t going to accept either - which was strange. Just a week ago, he would have taken their beds by force if he had to. A prince sleeping on the ground was outrageous. 

But the child from the first day was ever clear in his mind. 

From the moment he could read, write, and understand - which was very, very young - his father and the council groomed him to become a ruler with a profitable kingdom. They showed him how to profit from the people and display that wealth to other countries. They trained him to quash rebellions and act charismatic at public events. 

They scoffed when the people wanted reform. Their problems were surly not the fault of the king: if they had educated themselves better, or improved their towns, or worked harder to grow crops and build infrastructure, then they wouldn’t be in the mess that they were. Tony internalized that message. Hard work and intelligence were what was needed. 

But seeing that child, innocent of any greed or laziness, suffering to work hard for his parents dismantled his beliefs. How was that child supposed to learn when he had to work in the fields just to get enough food to not starve? How were the townspeople to work hard on personal improvement when they were barely surviving?

“Tony?” 

Tony looked up to see Steve peering at him curiously. 

“Are you feeling okay?”

Tony nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Just thinking over some things.” 

Steve started a fire and settled against a rock, listening to the sounds of nature around them when Tony spoke up again. 

“What was it like when you were younger?”

“What?”

“Weren’t you born approximately several hundred years ago? I’m sure the kingdom has changed. What was the Queen like? ” Tony instantly regretted the questioning when he saw the pain twisted expression on the knight’s face at the reminder that he had left his life behind. “…You don’t have to answer those.”

Steve recomposed himself and started talking. Steve adored the late Queen. According to him, she had been married to a cruel and vindictive king who had beaten his last wife to death. The kingdom had expected her impending doom as well, but she was strong and intelligent, and she managed to outlive the king. 

When Steve was younger, the king still ruled. The country was starving. He explained that he and his mother faced serious illnesses regularly and were barely able to survive. She passed away and he was moved to a decrepit orphanage until he became a teen. 

The Queen was then crowned the sole ruler of the kingdom and traveled to see her land. She was also rallying soldiers as they were in the middle of a brutal war the king had started. Both Steve and his friend James joined. Apparently Steve had been a tiny little thing that the other soldiers picked on, but finally having a roof and food caused him to finally grow. He worked on training passionately and snuck out for extra work every night.

His determination caused the Queen to pick him for her private army of knights, despite the fact that he did not come from an elite background like the rest. 

During his final battle with her, close friends revealed themselves to be products of hell, ands barely managed to cast a spell before she was vanquished. 

“I don’t know how it works. I just woke up and suddenly I was 500 years in the future.” Steve gazed at nothing with a glossy look. 

——————

With all the travel time, and uneventful nights, they got to know each other more. 

Tony admitted to Steve how terrible his father had been, and how this trip made him want to be a different kind of ruler. He wanted to be more like the Queen that Steve had depicted. Someone who helped subjects grow rather than profited off of their pain. 

Steve respected him for the growth and reached out to him as a friend, which Tony reciprocated. They were still at work, but it was much more enjoyable to eat meals chatting with a friend. Tony had never been out of the city’s walls and he was delighted to find all the beauty the countryside held.

Steve even began to train Tony in the ways of combat to prepare him if something should happen. Steve was strict and stubborn, but eventually, Tony received praise and encouragement, which delighted him more than it should. He wasn’t used to being not constantly criticized. 

Somehow, they unconsciously began moving closer together on the nights where they slept outside. Tony justified it as seeking heat, but he still blushed whenever he work up against the blonde’s chest. 

————— 

They had heard tales of pain, suffering, and evil, but none of them seemed especially demonic. Tony was starting to question the validity of the fable. The only thing keeping his belief was the fact that fifty knights had risen from the dead and were eating at his kitchen. 

Ever since they’d gotten back, Tony had been sheltered in to work on all the things he had skipped on his trip. He barely saw Steve, and if he did it was only in passage when the other man was surrounded by other knights. The blonde would always smile and wave, but seemly didn’t make an effort to break from his group. They would fall right back into whatever serious discussion had consumed them before. 

The night before Tony’s coronation, there was to be a ball, and the castle was buzzing with preparations. 

Tony was headed down toward the makeshift knights’ chambers to invite Steve when he saw the man in question talking to Jarvis. Both men looked suspicious: their eyes scanned the room often and they were speaking in whispers that Tony couldn’t make out. 

When he got close enough, the conversation went silent. Steve spoke up. “Prince Tony, I had just been looking for you.” 

Jarvis excused himself hurriedly. 

“What for? 

“I was wondering if you wanted a companion for the ball.” Steve glanced down at Tony, making an effort to keep eye contact despite his blush. He rubbed the back of his neck after a beat of silence. “You know, for security detail?”

How Tony’s heart was able to withstand the rollercoaster of emotions - he would never know. He went from amazed speechlessness to pure disappointment immediately. Of course Steve was talking to Jarvis about protection. He probably wanted to stay outside near the doors with his friends. 

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Tony spat out bitterly. “Thank you for your offer, but I’ll be fine.” He then turned and walked away, his back to the way that Steve’s face fell at the rejection. 

——————

Tony was not in a partying mood. He put on a smile and dazzled some young ladies, but his heart wasn’t in it. He had just managed to charm another diplomat when the council leader stepped into the middle of the room with red eyes and horns - causing quite the disturbance. 

“It has been 500 years since I last awoke, but I am back to reclaim the world for its rightful owners.” His voice boomed in the dance hall. “You puny humans cannot govern yourselves. You are weak followers bu nature. The cries of suffering, despair, greed, and apathy have summoned me from the pits of hell. You are truly unworthy of this realm.” 

Tony was frozen in shock. This council member had been the evil force all along? How did no one notice?

Then the demon swung at him. And he was pushed out of the way. As he rolled into a table he managed to snap out of it and see that Steve had been his savior. 

In a moment, half of the knights had surrounded the demon, and the other half evacuated the guests. Jarvis tried to sneak Tony out, but the prince refused to move. 

“This is my kingdom. I will not hide while someone else fights my fight.”

Jarvis seemed conflicted between pride and worry at that statement, but he kept silent except for a mutter. “Steve was right.”

“About?” Tony quickly demanded.

“Earlier today, he told me that he had a theory. The suffering of the people is what summoned the demon last time, but ultimately, the manifestation came from someone inside the castle. He was trying to figure out who it might be if the pattern repeated itself. To be prepared. But he didn’t want to spread the information in case the person ran.”

“That was what he was discussing with you?”

Jarvis nodded, eyes trained on the fight before them. 

Tony wanted to process that information, but was brought back to the present with the anguished cries of knights being slaughtered. It didn’t matter that they far outnumbered the demon, he was far stronger. 

Tony stood up and walked into the battle. It was his fathers fault for the people’s suffering. It was his fault for continuing the pain. It was his duty to end this. 

He used the combat skills Steve had taught him to get a few blows to the demon’s hand, but the creature scoffed. “You’re just as useless as your father.” He geared up to land a fatal blow to Tony’s head when Steve jumped forward and was struck to the ground - unconscious.

Tony instinctually stepped toward the fallen knight, but was able to remember what he needed to do 

He’d felt it when the demon arose. It was him that the prophecy spoke about. 

He slowly started to speak, quietly at first, but his voice grew louder and broke into song as he stepped closed to his enemy. 

“Hark, my child, come listen close

Let me tell you of tale  
Of a people cursed, a land destroyed  
Of a darkness that prevailed  
A witch kingdom once tall and proud  
Was ruled by Crochan queens  
Rhiannon fair was last of these  
For hatred stirred beneath  
The Crochan queens were thus betrayed  
By those of iron teeth  
Three days, three nights the battled raged  
Til every heartbeat ceased  
And as she fell, Rhiannon last  
Stretched out a vengeful hand  
Heed my words and heed my curse  
Or ne'er return to this here land  
She said blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
Five hundred years the land was dry  
All witches lost and scattered  
Blackbeak, Blueblood, Yellowlegs  
Their magic dead and shattered  
With Crochans gone, hope there was none  
To bind and break the curse  
Til silver-haired and crooked hearted  
Manon learned of her birth  
Wing Leader and Blackbeak heir  
Devourer of souls  
The long lost child of Crochan blood  
With eyes of burning gold  
Both ancient queen, iron warrior  
With Thirteen at her side  
They crowned her with a ring of stars  
A people unified  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
In final days a king arose  
To bathe the world in blood  
High Queen Manon would not be cowed  
By his demonic flood  
With every clan of witches  
Met she mortals, met she fae  
And in the hills of Terrasen  
The last stand of light was made  
With magic dark and cunning  
Demons sought to breach the wall  
Should they have broken Orynth's gates  
Then all Erilea fall  
So Thirteen left High Queen to live  
And Yielded up their lives  
Blood unified, blood payment made  
Flower bloomed and dead land sighed  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together has it been undone  
These the bridge, these the light  
Here now the iron melts  
Here flowers spring from killing fields  
Here now the land is won  
See flowers spring from killing fields

See now your land is won "

The demon fell to the ground twitching in pain as Tony sang. The knights took the chance to attack in full and by the end of the incantation, he was slain. 

Tony was triumphant for merely a second before he remembered Steve’s unconscious body, and started ordering those who were well to find doctors and rounding up the wounded. 

—————

Several days later, Steve awoke to a nasty headache in a large room. In several minutes, he had remembered what happened. 

Quickly he rose to his feet and went to the door, planning to leave and find a new life somewhere in town. But, no matter how strong the urge to disappear was, he needed to know if Tony was safe. 

He planned to sneak around the castle, but he had only barely rounded the corner when he heard footsteps going toward the door he had just left. He peaked his head around the wall and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Tony gazing into the empty room. He looked sleep deprived and pale, but alive. 

Steve was about to turn around and leave the castle for good when he noticed Tony start to cry. He was glued to the spot - his head filled with thoughts about potential dark magic or poison affecting the prince internally. 

He rushed over. “Are you okay?” Steve tilted Tony’s chin up and examined his face for hints of what was wrong. 

Tony’s eyes widened in surprise, but the tears didn’t stop. 

Steve panicked and lifted Tony into his arms. “I’ll get you to a doctor and then get out of your hair alright? I’m sorry about this.”

Tony sobbed at that, but he managed to croak out “Don’t I want to go back to the room. No doctors.”

Steve deliberated, but laid Tony on the bed he was in minutes ago. 

“Do you mind telling me what’s wrong? I don’t want to intrude but…”

“I thought you were gone.” Tony muttered. 

Steve blanched at the statement. “I just wanted to check that you were okay before I left.”

“Don’t leave.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here until you feel better.”

“No, don’t leave ever. I want you around. I love you Steve. Thank you for saving me, twice. And thank you for showing me the kingdom. And thank you for making me a better person. And thank you for hearing my faults and accepting me for them. I love you and I want you to stay.”

Steve grinned and kissed Tony’s lips. “I’d like to stay too.” 


	13. Kingdom (Stony)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony is the prince of a kingdom. Steve is a knight.

JessieLaxton requested: 

So basically a witches kingdom tall and proud was brought down by a demon king and the queen of the fallen kingdom maria put a spell on it before she dies and puts a spell on her most trusted knights to sleep so 500 years later her great great great great great great great great great great god son tony who is the last of the blood line finds the song or spell and wakes her knights who tell him about how he is the last ruler of the kingdom and how he is supposed to take down the demon king. <https://youtu.be/n8EE8gdUdP8>

*I messed this one up - I made it Stony not Stuckony. Didn’t see the middle message until after. 

  
Armor clanged as he rushed around the spiral stairs to the throne room, leading an army of men.

The attacks were decimating the grounds and the casualty number was rising by the second. Both army and townsfolk were being mowed down.

The fighting had been going on for days. The castle was crumbling. They had been blindsided by whatever force had tried to usurp the current royal family.

Once the knights reached the room, they were shocked to see the Queen’s trusted advisor morph into a demon, laughing maniacally.

“Where’s your power now?” His deep, distorted voice mockingly called out. “I know every secret pathway in this castle, every military strategy. I know it all. You will not win. Give in now and I will save you your dignity as I drain your life.”

The Queen stood, tall and defiant as ever. “Never. I shall never bow down to the orchestrators of evil and death.”

The flames on the demon king’s shoulders leapt at the defiance. One knight shot an arrow at him but it crumpled to ash before piercing anything. The demon spun around and laughed.

“Pathetic. You will never defeat me.” He waved his hand causing the chandelier to crash, crushing two men. Two swords flew midair killing two more. “Yield to my power.”

He turned his attention back to the Queen, malice in his eyes. He slowly began to choke her with his hold.

The knights tried to rush forward, but their legs were immobilized. They swore and taunted the demon king - trying to draw his attention away. Only one noticed the Queen’s lips moving.

The knights all fell unconscious.

“Where’d your army go, taking a nap?” The demon snorted, genuinely unaware of why they were no longer engaged.

The Queen, despite her pain, just smiled regally. In her final moments, she drew upon all of her strength, banishing the demon and his army to weakened forms in the underworld.

The loss of their Queen and her protectors was grieved for months as the citizens banded together to rebuild the kingdom.   
—————

Five centuries later, a descendant of that Queen was impatiently tapping his finger on the arm rest of his chair. “Are you quite finished?”

The man across the table looked up in shock. He seemed to shrink at the angry glare of the prince. 

“It’s not my fault they burnt all their crops. If they had any sense, they would’ve just used the smoke to drive the insects out. Then they’d still have food. It is not my fault they are hungry.”

The man seemed as though he was about to say something for a moment, but then thought better of it and shut his mouth. “Yes My Prince.” He bowed his head and left.

The prince smirked and began to sneak away from the room to avoid any more duties when his butler stepped in front of his path. The prince immediately frowned.

“If you’ll excuse me Jarvis, I was just about to...”

“There are many more preparations in order for next month’s celebration, and, lest I remind you again, your coronation.” Jarvis’ stern expression didn’t falter as he placed a huge stack of papers on the prince’s table.

“What is the point of celebrating a fable? Every year, we celebrate the defeat of the demon king as if it were a historical event. Don’t you think at least someone in this castle would’ve actually seen an example of magic - demons, fairies, whatever - if it existed?” Tony groaned. “It’s meaningless to celebrate an idealized story about a queen.”

Jarvis just left the room, closing the door behind him. The unspoken agreement that the prince would fulfill his duties hung thick in the air.

Ever since the prince’s parents had passed away at an unexpectedly young age, the council was in charge of political affairs until he came of age. While he grew, his butler Jarvis took care of him and instructed him in the ways of being a king as well as he could.

But the trauma of the loss, as well as him having more authority than Jarvis left the future king with several well-known shortcomings. He was a genius in all affairs, and the country flourished under his (currently informal) suggestions to the council. There was no doubt that his succession to the throne in the following month would bring prosperity to many. But, he had a propensity for taking many women and men for the night only, he disregarded traditional garbs and events, he belittled those around him, and he was often unempathetic toward his subjects. Ruling was a business to him.

As such, he quickly finished his paperwork and tried to find a way to sneak out of the room without alerting Jarvis or one of the servants so he wouldn’t be given more to do. He was trying to silently glide the bookshelf over to the window when he noticed the wall had a mural behind it.

“How did they-“ The prince reached out to touch the eyes of the painted woman. They seemed too three dimensional for the medium. When he made contact, he noticed they did protrude slightly. He gently pushed against one when an old piece of the wall splintered him and his thumb dripped blood across the woman’s face. He bit back an expletive at the pain, but couldn’t contain a help when a small door opened up.

The prince got excited, thinking of jewels, untold riches, and sealed away stories. He was disappointed to only find a book.

Even further, the book only had one poem at the front.

“Hark, my child, come listen close

Let me tell you of tale  
Of a people cursed, a land destroyed  
Of a darkness that prevailed  
A witch kingdom once tall and proud  
Was ruled by Crochan queens  
Rhiannon fair was last of these  
For hatred stirred beneath  
The Crochan queens were thus betrayed  
By those of iron teeth  
Three days, three nights the battled raged  
Til every heartbeat ceased  
And as she fell, Rhiannon last  
Stretched out a vengeful hand  
Heed my words and heed my curse  
Or ne'er return to this here land  
She said blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
Five hundred years the land was dry  
All witches lost and scattered  
Blackbeak, Blueblood, Yellowlegs  
Their magic dead and shattered  
With Crochans gone, hope there was none  
To bind and break the curse  
Til silver-haired and crooked hearted  
Manon learned of her birth  
Wing Leader and Blackbeak heir  
Devourer of souls  
The long lost child of Crochan blood  
With eyes of burning gold  
Both ancient queen, iron warrior  
With Thirteen at her side  
They crowned her with a ring of stars  
A people unified  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
In final days a king arose  
To bathe the world in blood  
High Queen Manon would not be cowed  
By his demonic flood  
With every clan of witches  
Met she mortals, met she fae  
And in the hills of Terrasen  
The last stand of light was made  
With magic dark and cunning  
Demons sought to breach the wall  
Should they have broken Orynth's gates  
Then all Erilea fall  
So Thirteen left High Queen to live  
And Yielded up their lives  
Blood unified, blood payment made  
Flower bloomed and dead land sighed  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together has it been undone  
These the bridge, these the light  
Here now the iron melts  
Here flowers spring from killing fields  
Here now the land is won  
See flowers spring from killing fields  


See now your land is won “

As soon as the prince read the passage aloud, streams of green light emitted from his hands. Instinctively, the prince felt compelled to follow the light further into the hidden hallway. He gasped when he saw what the tunnel led to.

There were men lying everywhere. They were garbed with armor and weaponry. The men did not appear as corpses, they seemed peaceful - untouched by the hands of time and decay.

The light became blindingly bright and it entered the men’s bodies through their mouths forcing them to violently gasp for a breath of air.

The prince was speechless.

The blonde closest to him sat up first and jumped to attention. He looked around him and then at the prince. “Who are you?”

“I am Tony Stark, future king of Marvel. Who are you?”

“I am Steven Rogers, member of the Queen’s army.“

—————

Tony had learned about the prophecy, but it had been in his culture and mythology studies. There was no way he could’ve expected the stories to be true. His first instinct had been to check Steve for brain damage or lunacy, but the green light and sleeping army seemed proof enough that something ethereal was at play.

“Evil will once again rear it’s head.” That was always the part that Tony remembered. He figured it was philosophical - evil would always be present in some capacity - greed, deceit, hate. But as Steve spoke, Tony quickly realized that evil meant a tangible manifestation of the demon king himself.

One man was destined to take down the demon. Slay evil in the kingdom once and for all. Was that supposed to be him? Steven? Someone in the village?

Tony wrapped his head around the ridiculousness of it all. Magic existed? The demon king was coming back? What if they did lose? Why was the blonde man so incredibly gorgeous?

Tony became distracted quickly. He immediately started checking Steven out. He didn’t even notice when the knights actually started their meeting and discussed their strategy.

Suddenly, two stunningly blue eyes were narrowed and glaring in his direction.

“Sorry beautiful, I got lost in your eyes and missed that last part.”

The knight’s ears turned red, but his stern facial expression did not ease. “We’re splitting into groups to gather information. Anything irregular could be important to what’s about to come. You and I are covering the eastern side of the river.”

Tony grinned. He definitely didn’t mind a couple more weeks with this man. And he got to avoid his usual mundane tasks by going out? He had no problem with that at all.

—————

The “adventure” was not going as well as Tony had intended.

The carriage ride to their assignment was long and bumpy. The scenery faded from the lively pristine town he resided in, to unkempt country side sparsely populated with poorly constructed “houses”.

And Steve, as they knight had allowed Tony to call him, was refusing to make small talk with Tony. Word travelled quick, and their was no doubt that he had been filled in of Tony’s carefree ways. Tony had attempted to flirt with him several more times but the man refused to budge. It was like he had a personal challenge to use the least amount of words around Tony as he possibly could.

When it was time to exit the carriage to speak with the first town, Tony was already over it. He let Steve lead him through the muddy trail to a church that could barely be considered a building.

The priest rang the meager church bells they possessed and the town was soon present.

If Tony had been bored and disinterested before, he had now sobered into a more somber mood.

A girl, who couldn’t be more than six, stared up at him in awe with mud streaks across her face. Her clothes were shredded and the tips of her shoes had been cut for her toes to stick out. Her teeth were yellow and stained.

Nobody else fared much better. Every person was clearly starving to some degree.

Tony was frozen. He simply stared as Steve knelt down and gave a little boy a quarter of the food he had brought for his own meal, and another quarter to an elderly lady.

Tony soon followed suit and passed around food until Steve motioned that it was time for him to speak.

“People of my kingdom. I have come to you today because a threat of evil is...”

Although Tony mustered up the famous charm he was known for, the people appeared disinterested.

One small boy, unaware of the rules of society, bravely spoke up. “Momma says we can’t eat because of you. Why should we help you?”

Steve glanced at Tony, clearly conveying that he would not draw a weapon on a child, not that Tony would ask it. Tony’s mouth dried and his eloquence failed him. “Does she?”

A woman snatched the child and covered his mouth. “I apologize sir. He does not know what he speaks about. Please spare him.” She trembled in terror.

“I did not come here to punish anyone.” Tony glanced around the room at the shocked and fearful faces. “Please. Speak freely. If I am to ask for your help, it is only right that you may ask of mine.”

The room fell into silence, but eventually, one older man choose to speak. He emotionally explained the hardships that he and his family, his friends, and his community had faced. He spoke candidly about the disdain many of them harbored for royals who amassed wealth and luxury while two of his children had passed from starvation and disease.

The man kneeled in front of Tony, still expecting some form of retribution.

The crowd became shocked when Tony asked him to stand and took out a piece of paper. “Tell me your grievances and I will seek to right them once I am crowned. I am not my father. I am not the council.”

Until nightfall, Tony discussed programs to improve the lives of his subjects. He gave them his word that the issues they brought forth would be addressed. Many of them were more than willing to help him at the end, but there was still no solid information to be had.

Steve’s eyes couldn’t help but wander over to Tony’s back as he wrote against the wall. His face was scrunched in concentration - his tongue barely peaking out between his lips. He attentively listened to each person and asked for details and suggestions.

His first impression of the prince had been that of a spoiled brat, but perhaps he was wrong? 

—————

They continued like this for several days. Some people had heard whispers of demons spreading greed, disease, and famine while others dreamt of fire, but it seemed no more than the superstitious remnants of old stories. 

Tony groaned as he sat down on a log. The most recent town had been more destitute than the last, and had no inn to take shelter in. The people offered him their beds, but Steve had shut down that favor immediately. Tony himself wasn’t going to accept either - which was strange. Just a week ago, he would have taken their beds by force if he had to. A prince sleeping on the ground was outrageous. 

But the child from the first day was ever clear in his mind. 

From the moment he could read, write, and understand - which was very, very young - his father and the council groomed him to become a ruler with a profitable kingdom. They showed him how to profit from the people and display that wealth to other countries. They trained him to quash rebellions and act charismatic at public events. 

They scoffed when the people wanted reform. Their problems were surly not the fault of the king: if they had educated themselves better, or improved their towns, or worked harder to grow crops and build infrastructure, then they wouldn’t be in the mess that they were. Tony internalized that message. Hard work and intelligence were what was needed. 

But seeing that child, innocent of any greed or laziness, suffering to work hard for his parents dismantled his beliefs. How was that child supposed to learn when he had to work in the fields just to get enough food to not starve? How were the townspeople to work hard on personal improvement when they were barely surviving?

“Tony?” 

Tony looked up to see Steve peering at him curiously. 

“Are you feeling okay?”

Tony nodded. “Yes, I’m fine. Just thinking over some things.” 

Steve started a fire and settled against a rock, listening to the sounds of nature around them when Tony spoke up again. 

“What was it like when you were younger?”

“What?”

“Weren’t you born approximately several hundred years ago? I’m sure the kingdom has changed. What was the Queen like? ” Tony instantly regretted the questioning when he saw the pain twisted expression on the knight’s face at the reminder that he had left his life behind. “…You don’t have to answer those.”

Steve recomposed himself and started talking. Steve adored the late Queen. According to him, she had been married to a cruel and vindictive king who had beaten his last wife to death. The kingdom had expected her impending doom as well, but she was strong and intelligent, and she managed to outlive the king. 

When Steve was younger, the king still ruled. The country was starving. He explained that he and his mother faced serious illnesses regularly and were barely able to survive. She passed away and he was moved to a decrepit orphanage until he became a teen. 

The Queen was then crowned the sole ruler of the kingdom and traveled to see her land. She was also rallying soldiers as they were in the middle of a brutal war the king had started. Both Steve and his friend James joined. Apparently Steve had been a tiny little thing that the other soldiers picked on, but finally having a roof and food caused him to finally grow. He worked on training passionately and snuck out for extra work every night.

His determination caused the Queen to pick him for her private army of knights, despite the fact that he did not come from an elite background like the rest. 

During his final battle with her, close friends revealed themselves to be products of hell, ands barely managed to cast a spell before she was vanquished. 

“I don’t know how it works. I just woke up and suddenly I was 500 years in the future.” Steve gazed at nothing with a glossy look. 

——————

With all the travel time, and uneventful nights, they got to know each other more. 

Tony admitted to Steve how terrible his father had been, and how this trip made him want to be a different kind of ruler. He wanted to be more like the Queen that Steve had depicted. Someone who helped subjects grow rather than profited off of their pain. 

Steve respected him for the growth and reached out to him as a friend, which Tony reciprocated. They were still at work, but it was much more enjoyable to eat meals chatting with a friend. Tony had never been out of the city’s walls and he was delighted to find all the beauty the countryside held.

Steve even began to train Tony in the ways of combat to prepare him if something should happen. Steve was strict and stubborn, but eventually, Tony received praise and encouragement, which delighted him more than it should. He wasn’t used to being not constantly criticized. 

Somehow, they unconsciously began moving closer together on the nights where they slept outside. Tony justified it as seeking heat, but he still blushed whenever he work up against the blonde’s chest. 

————— 

They had heard tales of pain, suffering, and evil, but none of them seemed especially demonic. Tony was starting to question the validity of the fable. The only thing keeping his belief was the fact that fifty knights had risen from the dead and were eating at his kitchen. 

Ever since they’d gotten back, Tony had been sheltered in to work on all the things he had skipped on his trip. He barely saw Steve, and if he did it was only in passage when the other man was surrounded by other knights. The blonde would always smile and wave, but seemly didn’t make an effort to break from his group. They would fall right back into whatever serious discussion had consumed them before. 

The night before Tony’s coronation, there was to be a ball, and the castle was buzzing with preparations. 

Tony was headed down toward the makeshift knights’ chambers to invite Steve when he saw the man in question talking to Jarvis. Both men looked suspicious: their eyes scanned the room often and they were speaking in whispers that Tony couldn’t make out. 

When he got close enough, the conversation went silent. Steve spoke up. “Prince Tony, I had just been looking for you.” 

Jarvis excused himself hurriedly. 

“What for? 

“I was wondering if you wanted a companion for the ball.” Steve glanced down at Tony, making an effort to keep eye contact despite his blush. He rubbed the back of his neck after a beat of silence. “You know, for security detail?”

How Tony’s heart was able to withstand the rollercoaster of emotions - he would never know. He went from amazed speechlessness to pure disappointment immediately. Of course Steve was talking to Jarvis about protection. He probably wanted to stay outside near the doors with his friends. 

“I don’t need a babysitter.” Tony spat out bitterly. “Thank you for your offer, but I’ll be fine.” He then turned and walked away, his back to the way that Steve’s face fell at the rejection. 

——————

Tony was not in a partying mood. He put on a smile and dazzled some young ladies, but his heart wasn’t in it. He had just managed to charm another diplomat when the council leader stepped into the middle of the room with red eyes and horns - causing quite the disturbance. 

“It has been 500 years since I last awoke, but I am back to reclaim the world for its rightful owners.” His voice boomed in the dance hall. “You puny humans cannot govern yourselves. You are weak followers bu nature. The cries of suffering, despair, greed, and apathy have summoned me from the pits of hell. You are truly unworthy of this realm.” 

Tony was frozen in shock. This council member had been the evil force all along? How did no one notice?

Then the demon swung at him. And he was pushed out of the way. As he rolled into a table he managed to snap out of it and see that Steve had been his savior. 

In a moment, half of the knights had surrounded the demon, and the other half evacuated the guests. Jarvis tried to sneak Tony out, but the prince refused to move. 

“This is my kingdom. I will not hide while someone else fights my fight.”

Jarvis seemed conflicted between pride and worry at that statement, but he kept silent except for a mutter. “Steve was right.”

“About?” Tony quickly demanded.

“Earlier today, he told me that he had a theory. The suffering of the people is what summoned the demon last time, but ultimately, the manifestation came from someone inside the castle. He was trying to figure out who it might be if the pattern repeated itself. To be prepared. But he didn’t want to spread the information in case the person ran.”

“That was what he was discussing with you?”

Jarvis nodded, eyes trained on the fight before them. 

Tony wanted to process that information, but was brought back to the present with the anguished cries of knights being slaughtered. It didn’t matter that they far outnumbered the demon, he was far stronger. 

Tony stood up and walked into the battle. It was his fathers fault for the people’s suffering. It was his fault for continuing the pain. It was his duty to end this. 

He used the combat skills Steve had taught him to get a few blows to the demon’s hand, but the creature scoffed. “You’re just as useless as your father.” He geared up to land a fatal blow to Tony’s head when Steve jumped forward and was struck to the ground - unconscious.

Tony instinctually stepped toward the fallen knight, but was able to remember what he needed to do 

He’d felt it when the demon arose. It was him that the prophecy spoke about. 

He slowly started to speak, quietly at first, but his voice grew louder and broke into song as he stepped closed to his enemy. 

“Hark, my child, come listen close

Let me tell you of tale  
Of a people cursed, a land destroyed  
Of a darkness that prevailed  
A witch kingdom once tall and proud  
Was ruled by Crochan queens  
Rhiannon fair was last of these  
For hatred stirred beneath  
The Crochan queens were thus betrayed  
By those of iron teeth  
Three days, three nights the battled raged  
Til every heartbeat ceased  
And as she fell, Rhiannon last  
Stretched out a vengeful hand  
Heed my words and heed my curse  
Or ne'er return to this here land  
She said blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
Five hundred years the land was dry  
All witches lost and scattered  
Blackbeak, Blueblood, Yellowlegs  
Their magic dead and shattered  
With Crochans gone, hope there was none  
To bind and break the curse  
Til silver-haired and crooked hearted  
Manon learned of her birth  
Wing Leader and Blackbeak heir  
Devourer of souls  
The long lost child of Crochan blood  
With eyes of burning gold  
Both ancient queen, iron warrior  
With Thirteen at her side  
They crowned her with a ring of stars  
A people unified  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together  
Can it be undone  
Be the bridge, be the light  
And when the iron melts  
When flowers spring from killing fields  
Only then the land shall be won  
In final days a king arose  
To bathe the world in blood  
High Queen Manon would not be cowed  
By his demonic flood  
With every clan of witches  
Met she mortals, met she fae  
And in the hills of Terrasen  
The last stand of light was made  
With magic dark and cunning  
Demons sought to breach the wall  
Should they have broken Orynth's gates  
Then all Erilea fall  
So Thirteen left High Queen to live  
And Yielded up their lives  
Blood unified, blood payment made  
Flower bloomed and dead land sighed  
Blood to blood  
And soul to soul  
Together this was done  
And only together has it been undone  
These the bridge, these the light  
Here now the iron melts  
Here flowers spring from killing fields  
Here now the land is won  
See flowers spring from killing fields  


See now your land is won "

The demon fell to the ground twitching in pain as Tony sang. The knights took the chance to attack in full and by the end of the incantation, he was slain. 

Tony was triumphant for merely a second before he remembered Steve’s unconscious body, and started ordering those who were well to find doctors and rounding up the wounded. 

—————

Several days later, Steve awoke to a nasty headache in a large room. In several minutes, he had remembered what happened. 

Quickly he rose to his feet and went to the door, planning to leave and find a new life somewhere in town. But, no matter how strong the urge to disappear was, he needed to know if Tony was safe. 

He planned to sneak around the castle, but he had only barely rounded the corner when he heard footsteps going toward the door he had just left. He peaked his head around the wall and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Tony gazing into the empty room. He looked sleep deprived and pale, but alive. 

Steve was about to turn around and leave the castle for good when he noticed Tony start to cry. He was glued to the spot - his head filled with thoughts about potential dark magic or poison affecting the prince internally. 

He rushed over. “Are you okay?” Steve tilted Tony’s chin up and examined his face for hints of what was wrong. 

Tony’s eyes widened in surprise, but the tears didn’t stop. 

Steve panicked and lifted Tony into his arms. “I’ll get you to a doctor and then get out of your hair alright? I’m sorry about this.”

Tony sobbed at that, but he managed to croak out “Don’t I want to go back to the room. No doctors.”

Steve deliberated, but laid Tony on the bed he was in minutes ago. 

“Do you mind telling me what’s wrong? I don’t want to intrude but…”

“I thought you were gone.” Tony muttered. 

Steve blanched at the statement. “I just wanted to check that you were okay before I left.”

“Don’t leave.” 

“Don’t worry. I’ll be here until you feel better.”

“No, don’t leave ever. I want you around. I love you Steve. Thank you for saving me, twice. And thank you for showing me the kingdom. And thank you for making me a better person. And thank you for hearing my faults and accepting me for them. I love you and I want you to stay.”

Steve grinned and kissed Tony’s lips. “I’d like to stay too.” 


	14. Where Were You?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has a misunderstanding about his missing years.

The room was silent except for the sound of Bucky inhaling deeply. He stared at the mirror again - saw the brown hair down near his shoulders and glared at his reflection. 

He didn’t want his hair to be this long anymore. No matter what anyone tried to tell him, he knew he looked like the Winter Solider. He didn’t want to look like “Old Bucky” anymore either, but he wanted something shorter and more modern. 

But for some reason he just couldn’t give the okay sign to let it happen. Natasha, who he would trust with his life, was standing there with the scissors, waiting for him to allow her to start, but allowing that sharp object near his head was still overwhelming and left him feeling too vulnerable, too exposed. 

Then he caught a glimpse of blue eyes in the mirror. 

“Hey, Buck, you know you don’t have to do this. Long hair on men is in. Having a ‘man bun’ is even pretty trendy.”

“James?”

_It’s just a fucking hair cut Steve. I’ve been through much worse. _Bucky swallowed down the caustic attitude and managed to calmly say “No, it’s okay. Go for it now before I lose the nerve.” Because even when he thought nasty things - Steve’s voice still triggered some kind of instinctual response in his brain that made him feel warm and safe. 

Natasha nodded and gently began to work away at the hair. 

Bucky felt Steve squeeze his shoulder encouragingly, and just zoned out. 

He’d improved drastically in the past two weeks. For about three months he’d regularly had major psychotic breaks and would barely talk to anyone. He became the solider at least once a day. 

But it’d been getting better. Bruce had helped remove some of the mechanisms of brainwashing, and he still trusted Natasha and Steve on a deeper level which helped. His mind was clearer than ever. 

And he could not be more thankful, but that clarity brought forth something deeper, and his mind was in turmoil. 

He trusted Steve with everything he had. He loved Steve. He would kill or be killed for Steve. 

And he knew Steve loved him too. He saw how much care and effort Steve had put into his recovery. The man made his criminal charges disappear and opened his home to him when he was highly unstable. He coaxed him through his problems, no matter how small, and was at his beck and call nearly 24/7. 

At least, he _thought_ Steve had loved him. 

But the other night, after having one of the most vivid dreams about his fall from the train yet - he woke up with one terrible thought in his head. _Why hadn’t Steve come to rescue me? _

Within minutes, Steve was there to calm him down and help distract him until the morning or he could sleep again, but the seed was planted. 

He would see Steve laughing with the front desk girl at Stark Industries, or teasingly banter with Sam, or excitedly use a new term correctly, and he would just feel mad. 

Steve was well adjusted. Steve had new friends and hobbies in this modern world. He was basically a celebrity at this point. And Bucky didn’t.

Bucky was broken in the new world. And the loneliness was only growing. 

When he first recognized Steve, memories of his best friend had flooded his mind. He felt like he was at home, and he remembered so many details about the blonde punk that he adored. Being with Steve made him feel safe, and helped with the recovery immensely. He practically idolized the man. 

But the more he thought about it, the Steve he knew should have rescued him. Steve didn’t follow orders if he felt there was something more important to do, so why didn’t he defy orders to look for his body in that icy trench? Yeah, it was cold and they were at war, but the man was a freaking superhero - he could have done it. Even if he got caught up in battle and needed to take down some villains, he still would have taken the time to search for Bucky’s body if he really loved him. Hell, Bucky had seen soldiers do that for mere comrades because it brought closure and they deserved a proper burial. 

And he knew that Steve had taken years to find him in the twenty first century, but that was after he had been groomed into a master spy. If Steve had caught him seventy years ago - he could have easily reversed the brain washing. Bucky remembered waking up from the hazy - alone and in a dark room strapped to a chair - and trying to remember Steve, to call out for him, to hold hope of being rescued. But that never came.

No - Steve just saw him plummet and moved on with his life. 

The spite became consuming, and Bucky started drawing away. 

He felt terrible, because Steve was one of the only things that brought light and content into his new life in the modern world. And Steve wanted him to succeed so badly, but every time he saw that face, he just wanted to scream and berate the man for allowing him to endure decades of the cruelest torture imaginable.

Steve obviously noticed, and the worry was evident in his face every time Bucky made an excuse to spend time alone in his room. He’d even caught Steve whispering on the phone to Sam asking for advice while sneaking around the hallway. 

But Bucky just couldn’t deal with it. It was jealously and resentment that made him want to hurl anytime he saw Steve enjoying his life, because he just couldn’t. He was trapped in his miserable existence where he was dealt a shit hand after a shit hand after a shit hand. 

Finally, the tension came to a head in the kitchen one morning. Steve gently reminded Bucky that he was going to be late for a therapy session if he didn’t hurry up and finish his food quickly. Bucky responded by muttering that Steve was nagging and that he wasn’t feeling up to therapy that day. 

Steve had swallowed that for a bit, trying to come up with the best phrasing - which ticked Bucky off- and settled on an equally soft statement about how Bucky had missed his last session too and a reassurance that therapy was accepted in these times, that it would take a while to see progress, and that bad days were okay. 

And Bucky exploded. “Have you ever thought that maybe if you had just saved me, I wouldn’t have to go to therapy? Maybe my mind would been in one piece and I could have lived a happy life instead of feeling like I’ve shattered into a million pieces every second of every day. You didn’t even think to look? What kind of superhero, no, what kind of best friend does that?” He slammed his fist into the cabinet. “And now I’m supposed to be okay living here and watching you adjust to this life when I can’t even get my hair cut without having a meltdown. Are you having fun flaunting it? Well, I don’t care. I can make my own fucking decisions and I just want to lay in bed today.”

Bucky stormed off, only for a moment feeling ashamed after seeing the gutted expression Steve was wearing. 

————

Bucky had stormed around the few New York blocks he felt comfortable in, and visited the Avengers tower in secret to punch some of the reinforced bags before returning to the apartment. 

Before unlocking the door, he heard strange sounds, so he entered silently and cautiously. 

He was greeted with the sight of Steve on the couch. It looked like he’d fallen asleep talking on the phone - probably with Sam. 

The giant super soldier was curled up to fit, and he was shaking violently. Tears were streaming down his face, and from the redness and puffiness, he’d been sobbing for hours beforehand too. He whimpered and whispered something incomprehensible. 

Despite not being entirely cooled down when he left the tower, all of the rage left Bucky at the sight of his friend looking so terrible. He lightly shook Steve, hoping to wake him and help him escape from whatever demons he was facing. 

When Steve finally jolted upright, it took a couple tries to catch his breath, and Bucky would be lying if the relieved way he sighed “Bucky” and then collapsed against his chest didn’t make his heart skip a beat. 

But after a moment, he came to his sense and sprang away from Bucky like his skin was lava. He wiped his eyes. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.” He gestured vaguely toward Bucky. “I think I might go stay with Sam for a while so you can have the apartment for as long as you need.”

Steve tried to stand up confidently, but whatever he had dreamed about had clearly affected him as his legs were shaking and he still looked pale. Bucky pulled him back onto the couch, but still with an appropriate distance between them. 

“What did you dream about?” 

Steve seemed caught off guard by the question, and looked a bit up and to the left while he decided what to say. “It was the day you fell from the train. I could feel your hand in mine, but suddenly it was gone and you were falling. It was foggy and cold, but I could still see your face clearly as you fell.”

Bucky didn’t know what to say to that. He didn’t know how to feel about that. Clearly, Steve felt deeply for him if the memory of him falling was this painful, but he still couldn’t understand why Steve hadn’t come back for him. 

Either way, he knew he should apologize for his childish outburst. “I’m so sorry about earlier. I definitely didn’t mean for this to happen.”

Steve attempted to smile reassuringly, but failed horribly. “This isn’t your fault. I have these nightmares often. Even last night I didn’t sleep much because of a similar... I-“ His voice trembled “feel guilty about what happened to you every single day. I keep trying to do things to make it up to you, to be a good friend, but clearly I can see that I’m doing more harm than good so Buck, as much as it will kill me, feel free to leave. I don’t want you to feel trapped here or that I’m ‘flaunting’ in front of you. Tony has extra rooms that I’m sure he’d let you have. I’m so so sorry. And I know I’ll never be able to fix what happened, but I want you to be happy. I want you to not feel broken or miserable. And I’ll do anything to help.”

More tears escaped the corners of the blonde’s eyes. Bucky was taken back by the sincerity and pain he could read in his friend’s eyes. _He had a nightmare about this last night? He had them often? _Maybe Steve wasn’t as well adjusted as he seemed.

“I was immature, and I don’t want you to leave. I just see you and get upset at all the years we would have had if you had gone back to the base and gotten me.”

Steve stared at him, eyebrows knitted and features somehow even more etched with sadness than before. His voice was barely a whisper when he spoke. “Buck…we wouldn’t have even had a day.”

“What?”

“I still would have flown the Valkyrie. Even though the loss of you made it easier to accept that I was on a suicide mission, I would have done it either way.”

“The Valkyrie? Steve, what are you talking about?”

And then Steve’s expression morphed to confusion. “Right after we lost you, we discovered that…” 

Bucky’s heart plummeted as he listened to Steve’s story. His jaw felt heavy and his stomach hurt. He ached for his friend as he watched Steve struggle to spit out how it felt to drown in ice cold ocean water. 

And he felt like such an asshole. 

Steve had also died that day. And when he woke up, as soon as he learned that Bucky was alive, he dropped everything, became a war criminal, and came to his rescue. And from the description, Steve had his own trauma’s to work through. He knew what Bucky needed because he was experiencing the same thing. But he had done it without a friend. He had been alone. And he still was to a degree. He was expected to step up and lead and shoulder Bucky’s trauma. He didn’t even have time to treat his own illnesses and was sacrificing his health as a result. 

And Bucky burst into tears.

And Steve panicked. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-“ He looked around the room frantically as if there would be something, anything to help him. “What do you need me to do?”

Bucky just hugged Steve close and let himself relax when his embrace was returned. When he had calmed down a little, he mumbled something about being the worst. 

“No, Bucky. You’re the greatest friend I’ve ever had.”

“I doubted you though. I resented you and I blamed you for something you couldn’t even fix. I took advantage of your generosity and didn’t even think if you were suffering. I’m a terrible person and I don’t know why-“

Steve clamped a hand over Bucky’s mouth and then quickly removed it. “Ah, I didn’t mean to. That was instinct or something.” He twisted so that he could look the brunette in the eyes. “You saved me. In the orphanage and as adults and in every back alley fight I started. You cared for me when no one else would. And I am honored to return the favor. Just having you back makes everything so much better. It is a miracle that I can see you alive again, and I will do anything to keep it this way. Don’t- just don’t say that stuff about yourself, because you’re priceless to me and I can’t stand to hear it.”

Bucky smiled at the compliment, even if he couldn’t see what Steve saw, and he finally knew he should never dismiss his instincts again - Steve was his home. 

—————

Over a year later, Steve was refilling a water bottle when a thought Gabe him pause. “So all that time before I told you I’d been frozen, what did you think Tony was saying when he called me “Capsicle”?

“Is that what that means?” Bucky paused from wolfing down his sandwich “I don’t know half the things he says - and the nicknames? Jesus Christ.”

“That’s fair” Steve chuckled.


	15. The Fall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve falls off of the Ironman suit when Tony takes him for a ride.

"We need pick-up in the northeast end of the forest." Natasha said into the comms. "There isn't exactly a landing spot for the jet though." 

"I'm on it!" Thor triumphantly announced and shot up into the sky. 

"How the hell did you guys get so far away?" Clint wondered aloud as he and Bucky made their way toward the jet. "We're in the middle of the city. The nearest forest isn't even for a couple miles and your on the opposite end."

"We climbed on one of the flying to see if he would lead us to their hide-out - it did. There were about twenty of these...things...in the trees." Steve explained.

Tony piped up next. "On my way Goldilocks."

Steve sighed, but in a fond way. He pressed a button to send their exact coordinates to Tony - something that Thor had failed to wait for. 

Thor still found them first though. he gracefully knelt down on one knee and extended his arm for Natasha to be cradled into. "To the jet!' 

Natasha winced at the booming yell, but despite her cool facade, the childlike excitement of getting to fly with a God was apparent in her eyes - at least it was to Steve. he grinned and waved as they disappeared past the trees. 

"Hey, Cap?"

"Barton."

"We've got a bit of a situation."

Steve braced himself for bad news. With this team, he never knew what was coming. "Bad news" could be anything from a nearly fatal injury to a lost shoe.

“Falcon is down. He took a blow to the right side and it’s bleeding pretty bad. He should be fine, but we need to hightail it out of here ASAP. How far out are you? Winter and I have almost got him to the jet.”

“Give us two minutes.” Natasha responded.

“Less.” Thor added.

“I’m still headed toward Steve. It will probably be five till pick-up and six till the jet.” Tony’s voice sounded apologetic even though he would have no way of going faster.

“Leave us. Fly back as soon as Romanoff and Thor touchdown.” Steve spoke in his Captain voice. “We’ll figure something out.” 

“You got it Cap.” 

In less than ninety seconds, Steve picked up the sound of their jet taking off in the distance. He was concerned for his friend, but had faith in his teammates and the medical team. 

Shortly after, he saw a speck of red and gold headed his way. He definitely would’ve made a joke about his ride being late if he wasn’t worried Tony would hear it as criticism.

“So, what’s the plan?” He arched an eyebrow toward the suit. “Should I try and rent a car or get a cab? Do you have anything in New Jersey?”

Tony wrinkled his nose in disgust. “In Jersey? Absolutely not. And you really think you’re going to take a cab covered in grime, sweat, and alien blood. And in the Captain America suit.”

Steve waited for whatever Tony was going to propose. He was ready to shoot it down if it sounded too ridiculous, but honestly, he didn’t want to try and get a cab like this either. 

“I’ll fly you.” 

“What?” 

“Come on. It’s not even that far. I’ve flown you before.”

“You’ve caught me from falling.”

“Same thing. Can’t a fella fly his best guy to New York?” Tony mimicked Steve when he spoke like it was still the forties. “It’ll take thirty minutes tops. And the view is awesome.”

Steve shrugged. “Sounds good to me.” He was actually excited. It seemed exhilarating to fly without a plane. 

Steve let Tony cradle him into his arms to prepare for takeoff. 

“Just one thing. Since we’re flying with extra weight I need extra fuel.”

“Doesn’t the reactor provide more than enough?”

“No this is a special kind.” Tony flipped his faceplate up and pursed his lips. 

Steve laughed and kissed him. “Ready?”

“Maybe another.” 

Steve obliged. Tony smiled. “Make sure to stay nice and settled in there. I don’t want you falling out.”

Tony propelled them both into the air, holding tight to Steve as he adjusted his bearings for the other man’s weight, After he straightened out, he took a moment to glance down at his boyfriend. Steve’s eyes were filled with wonder. He watched the city landscape go by beneath him with amazement. 

“Tony. This is beautiful.” He sighed. “Look at that river. It’s so blue.” He pointed over toward the forest they had just left. 

They spent most of the ride admiring the scenery. As they approached the tower, Tony felt the urge to show off. 

"If you thought that was cool, just watch this." Tony smirked. "Climb onto my back and hold on tight."

"Tony is this-"

"It's fun. C'mon."

And because Steve couldn't resist Tony's excitement, he did as he was told. As soon as he gave the okay, Tony went into a freefall. He caught himself just before it became too late and zigzagged through the Manhattan buildings.

Steve felt strong urges to both punch Tony in the back for attempting these dangerous stunts and scream into the air because of the adrenaline rush he was feeling. The latter won out. Flying with the Iron Man suit was incredible. Tony did all kinds of loops and other tricks.

Just as he thought they were nearly done, Tony shot up into the air. He climbed and climbed and climbed, going ridiculously fast. Steve was fascinated with the world shrinking below him, the way they were soaring through clouds. He didn't even notice the cold until it was too late. 

He felt frozen. Logically, there was no ice, but the wind was bitterly cold and it felt like the temperature could've been below zero. Steve's fingers burned. They locked into place, no longer able to grasp anything. His arms slipped from around Tony's shoulders and he was falling. 

Tony noticed it seemed lighter and turned his head to check on his boyfriend. His heart almost stopped when Steve wasn't on his back. He looked down just in time to see Steve staring up with glazed eyes as he hurtled toward the ground. 

Tony reacted immediately, diving down and speeding as fast as he could to reach Steve. He easily caught the man way before they neared the ground. When he pulled Steve into his arms, the blonde superhero promptly passed out. 

"Shit." JARVIS displayed Steve's vitals on the interior of Tony's helmet and sure enough, Steve was freezing cold and the rapid change in altitude had knocking him out. Otherwise, no lasting damage. Tony flew him home and wrapped him in warm blankets.

He also began preparing his favorite dinner as an apology. Tony felt guilty, but both he and Steve had outgrown the full blown guilt ridden anxiety attacks they'd felt when they first hurt each other. Not to say they didn't do everything in their power to keep from hurting each other, but as superheroes and 'stubborn adrenaline junkies' as Bruce referred to it, there were problems.

Like Steve fracturing Tony's wrist mid-spar.

Or Tony accidentally siccing a hex bug army of thousands on Steve. 

Or Steve hitting a bump while sledding down the hill in his shield, taking down Tony and rendering him unconscious in the process. 

Or Tony attempting to add a parachute factor to Steve's suit, but instead, it deployed too early and Steve landed in a different state. On a cactus. 

Or Steve forgetting to mention the fact that Bucky booby-trapped his apartment with kitchen mouse traps while he was still in the overprotective phase of recovery. The oddly shaped scar on Tony's bicep is still red. 

Or Tony deciding that the roomba needed a 'difficult mode' without warning Steve, who was tripped with enough force to fall on his ass and shatter a glass coffee table all around him. 

Or Tony leaving a dart gun out which resulted in one of his robots shooting Steve with what was basically viagra. Although, Tony was the one who was left sore that day after so he didn't think Steve was completely the victim of that one.

The point was, there were a lot of mistakes. Steve had been caught way before it was anywhere near a life or death situation. Plus, Tony had installed parachute 2.0 (that Steve didn't necessarily know about) to deploy if he got too close to the ground going too fast. He would work on making the suit’s defrosters extend further out too.

So he made an apology dinner. Tony danced to his rock music as he grabbed the tomatoes from the bowl and started dicing. He noticed from the corner of his eye that Steve was moving. Which was relieving, but also odd. If Steve was awake, he should be complaining about the music. 

Tony wiped his hands on a towel and walked over to his boyfriend. “Are you up? How are you feeling?”

There was no response. Tony rounded the side of the couch and peered over the side. Steve was staring up with that same glossy look in his eyes. He was violently shivering. 

“Steve”

Tony took his boyfriend’s temperature, but it was normal. High even which was normal for Steve. 

“Steve?” Tony’s voice was slightly higher pitched then it needed to be. A bit of panic was starting to seep in. He placed his hand on his boyfriend’s shoulder and gently shook. “Steve, come on.” 

Tears starting rolling down Steve’s cheeks as he curled into a fetal position. He brokenly whimpered incoherent words - begging for something. He looked small and scared. Tony was terrified.

So he pushed a bit harder.

The blonde’s head snapped over toward Tony. He attempted a strained smile through his chattering teeth, but his eyes were still unseeing.

“Howard?” His voice was hopeful. “You found me. I knew you wouldn’t let me freeze to death alone out here.” His Brooklyn accent was more pronounced than usual. 

Tony’s jaw clenched, but he continued moving his hands. “No, its Tony. You’re in the 21st century Steve. At Stark Tower…well, Avengers tower.”

Steve stopped, and for a moment Tony’s heart sunk. Then he blinked a few times and his pupils seemed to focus. “Tony?”

His voice was soft as he removed his hands from across his chest and reached for his lover. As soon as he found Tony he pulled him into his arms and flush against his chest. They laid on the couch for a while, Steve violently shivering around Tony. 

Steve's breathing began to slow, but his grip around Tony didn’t loosen. “Hey…”

“Are you with me?” Tony cautious pulled his head up to look at Steve’s face.

Steve nodded. “Tony, I’m-“

Tony cut him off with a look that they both understood. There was no reason for Steve to apologize for what just happened. “If anything-“

“-It’s not your fault.” 

Tony swallowed thickly, but made no attempt to protest. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Steve’s eyes went upward toward the ceiling. He laid in contemplation to gather his thoughts. When he finally spoke, his voice was a bit shaky. 

“It was terrifying. Going under.” Steve shuddered violently. “I knew the plane had to go down. I made that decision. Too many innocent people would die.” 

Tony held Steve’s hand, trying to ignore the fear bubbling through him as he listened to Steve’s broken voice. 

“And what was there for me to live for? Peggy was swell and Howard was nice enough, but Ma was…she was gone, and I had failed Bucky in the worst way. I would come home to my empty apartment - where the written proof that Bucky was dead would be at my doorstop and my neighbors would be grief-stricken over their dead sons. I would be alone.” Steve sounded dangerously close to crying again, but he seemed determined to justify his reasoning. “It had to go down."

Tony paused. He wanted to reassure his lover that it was okay, that he had made the right decision and saved New York. But somehow, the words hero and brave and savior didn’t come to his lips as easily as when he heard the story as a child. It was different when Steve, absolutely shattered and borderline suicidal, was the one making the choice rather than a great American figurehead. He squeezed Steve’s hand in reassurance where words failed him. 

Steve seemed to appreciate the gesture and continued. “The plane was at a nosedive. I could see the water getting closer and I knew what was going to happen. But my body still fought it. I held my breath until my chest felt like someone had reached in my chest and was squeezing my lungs. I was submerged for what felt like an eternity. I tried to climb out the window but we were sinking fast and the salt water was burning my eyes. Once I couldn’t do it any longer, I breathed out. Then I breathed in.” Again, Steve had to take a moment to remind himself where he was. “It burned. Everything felt like it was on fire. I prayed to just black out and die. I think I held out longer because of the serum. It was torture.” 

“The next thing I knew. I was waking up here and they wanted me to suit up again to save the world. Everyone I knew was dead and my apartment was just as empty as I had left it. I didn’t even have the neighbor ladies or Peggy or Howard.” Steve’s lips twitched. “SHIELD just needed men. Natasha and you were the only ones got past the hero role and you hated me.”

Steve’s eyes widened as he seemed to realize what he had just admitted. “I mean, I know you don’t hate me now. This isn’t about that. None of this is on you.” He sighed and closed his eyes. “I shouldn’t have dumped this all on you at once It isn’t fair.” 

Tony couldn’t force a genuine smile so he didn’t try. He shimmed up to rest his forehead against Steve’s. “I love you.”

Steve managed a shaky smile.

Even though his lovers eyes were closed, Tony made sure he was looking at them as seriously as possible. “I won’t let you fall. I won’t ever let you fall again.” 

Steve pressed a shaky kiss to Tony’s cheek then moved his head to the crevice of Tony’s neck and shoulder. “I love you too.” He mumbled into the man’s shirt as he let himself be comforted and supported.

“I won’t ever let you suffer alone again Rogers.”

Tony could feel the grateful smile as the blonde remained cuddled to him on the couch. He felt the tension bleed out as he slumped against him.

“And as you know Ironman never tells a lie.”

Steve snorted. “That’s George Washington.”

“Fine. Ironman will never lie to you.”

“Did you steal my suffragist t-shirt?”

“…..But it is so comfortable.” There was an evident whine in his tone. “I have food though.”

“Well then, you’re forgiven.” Steve teased. “But let’s get that later. I want to stay like this for a little longer.”

**Author's Note:**

> If you’re looking for something else, I also have:
> 
> Avengers Family - Platonic oneshots with the Avengers acting as one large family.
> 
> Avengers Family Two - A continuation of Avengers Family. The one shots are in random order so no need to read one before the other. 
> 
> Another Avengers Fanfiction Archive - A collection of unrelated oneshots between the reader and various marvel heroes.
> 
> Another Avengers Fanfiction Archive (Two) - A continuation of Another Avengers Fanfiction Archive. The oneshots are still unrelated so reading the first one before is not necessary.
> 
> Avenger Ships - Oneshots involving ships between established Marvel characters. Mostly Stony, Stucky, and Starker.  
They’re all open for requests!


End file.
